Fire
by Eaglechild
Summary: After peace has been restored in Hyrule, Impa has to face a new challenge: to propagate her tribe following the Code of the Sheikah. But she falls in love... This is Part One of my epic cycle "The Treasure" which describes the events following the end of "Ocarina of Time".
1. Chapter 1

A/N

The story includes some passionate scenes, but without inappropriate language or violence.

It is rated M and should be read by readers at least 16 years old.

I hope you enjoy my story, and I welcome positive and/or constructive reviews.

* * *

Chapter 1

1

She was dreaming.

She was quite sure of that because several things spoke in favor. The garden looked different from what she remembered. The bush with the yellow roses had died last year, she knew that for sure. A rare pest had befallen it and the gardener hadn't found a cure. And the bench she was sitting on... it stood now on the other side of the fountain, under the lime tree that provided shade in the summer.

She gazed to the sky. The clouds looked like soft feather cushions that silhouetted gray before the blueness. In one of them there was a round hole, through which the sun shone. When she watched this cloud, the others seemed to move fast. But when she looked at the others, they stood still.

She examined her hand.

 _How many fingers do I have?_

She struggled to count them, but she could not manage. Was it five? Or perhaps six? There seemed to be more than five, but she could not recognize exactly how many.

She decided to perform one last test. Slowly she rose from the bench and spread her wings. With a powerful flap she lifted up into the air. Another flap brought her high up, above the top of the lime tree. When she gazed down she saw herself sitting there on the bench. She was not alone.

This finally confirmed her assumption. She knew she was dreaming because the woman who sat on the bench beside her was long dead. But then why was she here?

 _And why am I here in the first place?_

She was sitting on the bench again and turned to the woman beside her. Blood-red eyes greeted her in a beautiful, friendly face. The face of her mother.

"Impa, my dear," she said smiling as she swept a white strand of hair from Impa's face. "Don't be afraid."

"You are in my dream," said Impa.

"Yes, I am."

"But why? Something happened, right?"

"No, not yet."

"Then... something will happen?" Impa asked anxiously. "Something bad?"

"Yes, my darling," her mother said, "but not yet. And maybe it will not happen at all, if we can take the right precaution measures."

"But why did they send you? It was always Ranalla, the First of the Sheikah. She always gave me the instructions..."

"Ah, my darling," her mother said, and her face grew more grave. "You know that actually nobody really sent me. My image is enclosed in you, in your heritage. But the task that awaits you is of a very private nature, and your subconsciousness chose this way to remind you."

Impa nodded.

"What must I do?" she asked.

"We are the guardians of the future and the past, my daughter. You know, that both influence each other, and sometimes we must do things that will only have their effect in the far future. It was your task to close the timeline of the Daemon and to protect the Treasure in the new timeline. You fulfilled it very well and accomplished that the next phase of the menace will only arrive around a thousand years from now. For this phase new guardians are needed, and therefore we must act now. As you are the last of us, it is your task to propagate our tribe."

Impa's eyes widened from amazement.

"Me? But how can I alone... My Companion..."

Her mother shook her head. "Don't worry, my dear. You are a Sheikah. Your heritage allows you to build a new tribe of the Sheikah, even without a Companion. I am here to prepare you for your new task and to give you the information you need."

Thousands of questions crowded Impa's mind, and she wanted to speak, but she didn't know where to begin. Her mother gently stroked her cheek and smiled again.

"I know that you have many questions," she said. "I will answer them. But first, listen to me."

Impa nodded and took a deep breath, ready to receive the knowledge.

"We Sheikah," her mother began, "are a special tribe. We are humans like the Hylians, but by means of specific breeding and selection our race has gained certain abilities, that other human races have not. They allow us to always build a new population from one single individual.

"Our heritage always propagates predominantly in our descendants. There may occur generations where the attributes are not visible, but they are present and perpetuate."

"But," her mother continued, "there is another attribute I must tell you about. Every woman of the Sheikah has the ability to mature several of her ovules at once, if she wishes. If she allows all her matured cells to be fertilized within a short time, she can bear several children at once, although few of our women have born more than two children at the same time. We can even determine whether the children that grow from the fertilized ovules shall be male or female."

Her mother made a pause to give Impa a moment to absorb this information. Then she continued:

"As you see, with the help of these abilities it should not be a problem to grow a new population."

Impa considered what this would mean for her.

"You mean..."

"Yes, my daughter," her mother nodded. "You will be a mother yourself."

2

Impa examined her hands. She was used to repeatedly check whether she was in the reality, but the number of her fingers was still not recognizable. This time it seemed to be less than five. Her mind struggled to count them...

Two more hands came to hers and took them. They were warm, slender hands and their familiar touch comforted her.

"In know that this is a great task, my darling. But I am sure that you will fulfill it well."

Impa took a deep breath. Her mother gently squeezed her hands.

"Finally, my darling, I want to give you the most important information of all."

Impa looked up. What she had heard up to now was already overwhelming. What more could come?

"We are a very long-lived race. You yourself are already older than any other being in the world, and you will live several more centuries. But your children must live even longer than you. To guarantee this it is important that I tell you the greatest secret of the Sheikah: the secret of our long life."

A soft smile entered the face of her mother as her eyes floated to the distance for a moment, as if lost in a long past memory. Then they came back to Impa.

"As you know, when two Sheikah Companions find each other, their magic merges and creates a loving bond between them, that lasts their whole lives."

Impa nodded and her mother spoke on.

"Thus the circumstances are created that guarantee a long life to the children of this couple. Since you have lost your mate," she continued, "and there are no other Sheikah, we must try to create these circumstances in other ways. To provide a log life for your children a certain requirement must be fulfilled upon their conception..."

Her mother looked at her with a loving smile.

"The fathers of your children must be in love with you. They must fulfill your wish unsolicited, gladly and consciously. Otherwise it will not work."

Impa gave her mother a dry look. "But..."

But her mother raised a finger to silence her.

"Much more important is, however, that you yourself are in love with the fathers of your children. The more you are attracted to them in the moment of conception, the more love you feel for them, the more lifetime you will provide to your children. Because... it is like this..."

At this words a tear emerged from her eyes, that glinted in the surreal light of the dreamed sun.

"Nothing in the Universe can bind and propagate as much life energy as can Love between to beings. Her force of attraction holds everything together, She is life itself."

Impa's heart pounded as the thoughts swirled in her head. A pained expression filled her face.

"But how... who... I don't know anybody..."

"Oh, but that is not a problem, my little one," her mother smiling waved her concerns aside.

Impa became curious. "Not a problem? What do you mean? I have never..." Even in her dream she felt the blush reaching her face and warming it. A strange draft flowed through her hands as she excitedly considered her mother's words.

 _Is there somebody?_

"Two men live in this castle who worship you. Although both are somewhat older they are much younger than you. They are of honorable character, have a strong body and good health. You must find them."

Impa wanted to object but again her mother asked for her patience with a raised finger.

"Don't worry, the two of them are no strangers to you. I know that, because your subconsciousness knows it already. You will approach them and ask them to give you a child. Then you will remove the memory of this event from their mind.

"Nobody must know of your pregnancy. A plan is included in your heritage which you will follow to give birth to the children and send them to their training."

Impa felt a certain portion of her mind open and release the information.

"But that means that I must leave the castle. Zelda... I cannot leave her just like that..."

"The menace has passed. The Treasure is safe, and they have their son. You may leave them alone for some time, to settle everything."

Impa nodded slowly and gazed to the distance lost in her thoughts.

Her mother's soft hand on her shoulder brought her back to the situation.

"As this task now has begun, you may call me in your dreams whenever you need me. I wish you good luck, my dear."

Impa let her mother embrace her, and then watched as she spread her wings and flew up to the strange hole in the clouds.

3

The morning dawned when Impa opened her eyes. She remembered every detail of her dream. Instinctively she spread her hands before her and counted her fingers.

Ten fingers, no doubt. She could count them exactly, from the first to the last.

She rose from her bed, put on her combat suit and stepped into the corridor to leave the castle. Some servants were already on their business and greeted her politely.

"Good morning, Madam Impa."

Impa nodded to them and swiftly walked through the corridors, through the entrance doors of the castle and down the great stairway. The guards also greeted her, and then she was already running through the gates of the castle grounds on her way to Castletown. She ran through the market square, where some merchants were building their stands. She saw from afar how the drawbridge was lowered and reached it just when it touched the ground. The guard in front of the gate saluted and greeted her with a smile.

"Good Morning, Mistress Impa," he called.

Impa nodded again and ran on towards the river. It was a smooth path without any obstacles and she started a loose trot as she breathed the fresh, cool air. She had chosen the easier way because she wanted to think and plan the next steps of her task.

For fifteen years she had guarded and protected the Treasure in the new timeline of peace, had trained him and given him everything he needed to go on his way. She had made sure that he could enjoy his childhood and adolescence together with Zelda and nobody bothered their love. He was happily married to the Princess of Hyrule, he had a son and good friends, he had become a wise and patient king, and Impa had considered her task fulfilled. And now her mother had appeared and had given Impa her next task.

 _Two men... Whom did she mean? I never noticed anything... Or did I become blind with the years?_

Impa knew that all inhabitants of the castle respected her. Not everybody liked her, but all showed the respect which her position as longtime consultant of the royal family and member of the High Council of Hyrule demanded. She was used to her orders being executed without objection. Never had she asked anybody for anything. And now she had to find two men, two fathers for her children...

 _How can I find them? They are all afraid of me..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

1

Henry Maynard, scientist and personal physician of the royal family, put the barbell on the mount and grabbed the towel to dry the sweat that had formed on his skin from the effort. Strong muscles stretched beneath his skin and he savored every move with silent attentiveness. He looked in the mirror which he had set up in his chambers for his training. He saw a tall, mature, strong body with clear blue eyes in a grave, but gentle face. His dark hair had grown and reached to his shoulders.

Since he was performing the exercise program that he had developed together with Captain Daniel Pierce each morning, significant success had shown. With its fifty years Henry was not young, but he firmly refused to let age grip his body.

A faint smile came to his face as he thought with quiet anticipation of the day that lay in front of him. Satisfied, Henry put the towel aside and stepped into his small bathroom to clean his new body. He dressed and lay his coat around his shoulders. Then he grabbed the basket and the little knife for the plants from the table and went to the door. After a deep breath he opened it and stepped from his chambers

Today was the first day of the week, when Henry Maynard usually took his round in the gardens. He wanted to use the early morning hours for his collection, because at this time the leaves were still strong and full of life and provided the best ingredients for everything Henry wanted to make.

But above all at this time the gardens held a secret, unique spectacle Henry did not want to miss for anything in the world.

The first rays of the rising sun shone through the large windows of the corridor and the blue sky promised a friendly, warm day. The servants he met in the corridors greeted him respectfully. Everybody respected him, and while his appearance had gradually changed in the course of the last year, Henry also noticed an increasing number of ladies smiling at him. But no woman had ever managed to catch his eye.

None, except one.

The gardeners going about their work in the morning knew that Henry Maynard always took a particular route through the gardens. To collect wild plants he especially liked to visit the patches that were left on their own to give room to the birds, insects and small animals.

Henry let his gaze wander over the gardens and enjoyed the young greenery and the chirping of birds, which sang their morning songs. He began to collect the plants which he had noted on the list in his mind. But soon he became aware of his fiercely beating heart, because today was different than usual.

 _I am excited like a little boy..._

Henry cut some leaves from the nettles on the edge of the meadow and realized that his hands were trembling. He shook his head and went on, trying to calm his pounding heart.

 _I must calm down!_

But he did not succeed. As if attracted by an invisible force he directed his steps to the last meadow. It was surrounded by a hedge which grew like a small maze at its edge. A small gate in a hidden part of the maze opened the way and...

Henry paused.

Over there...

In a small niche of the hedge stood a bench next to a rosebush. It was an old Gerudo rosebush that had long stopped blooming. But today a red rose was there, that had just opened. Henry walked over and set on his knife, but he paused as he lost his gaze in the calyx. Dewdrops lay like iridescent pearls on its delicate petals and her gentle fragrance caressed his nose. She was beautiful, and Henry lowered his knife.

No. He could not cut this rose.

As this rose... was a sign.

He took a deep breath and felt his heart calm down. He put the knife back into the basket and stepped back to the small gate in the tall hedge. He knew exactly the way through the small maze and walked calmly through the green alleyways. A new self-confidence flowed through his body, and he felt it like a confirmation of his hope.

He stopped before the last bend and took another deep breath. Then he raised his head and stepped around the corner.

In the middle of the meadow stood a large lime tree and beneath it an old stone bench. In front of the bench lay a shallow pool of water with a little fountain in the shape of a rose of white marble. The soothing sound of the water mingled with the chirping of the birds and the gentle rustling of the wind in the leaves. Meanwhile, the sun had risen higher, and its rays glittered in the aspiring water of the fountain. Henry Maynard stood with quiet amazement, for there by the lime tree, on the wide edge of the fountain, was... _she_.

He carefully walked closer through the grass as his eyes rested on her. He stopped a few steps before her, as always overwhelmed by the sight of her.

She was sitting upright with her legs crossed, and her hands lay loosely on her knees. Her eyes were closed and a peaceful expression lay on her beautiful face. The gentle breeze rustled in the leaves of the tree and swept through her long, snow-white hair which fell loosely over her shoulders. She sat as still as a statue, but her chest rose and sank in a slow, calm rhythm, while Henry gazed at her. She was the most beautiful creature he could imagine, and today would be the day that his silence would come to an end.

Silently he cleared his throat and her eyes snapped open.

Red as the single rose by the bench they stared at him, but her gaze was empty.

"Madam..."

As if returning from a distant place the focus came into her eyes, and for the first time in his life Henry Maynard saw something that completely took his breath away.

Impa smiled.

Her full lips arched and her eyes shone with a friendly, mischievous, playful expression. Henry was stunned, as her face changed so much that he did not know what to say.

"Good morning, Master Maynard," she said in a soft, friendly voice that was so different from the commanding tone in which she usually spoke.

Henry smiled as well, and all tension fell away from him. Impa's smile swept over his mind like a warm wind, which took away all the fear and anxiety and left pure relief and joy.

She rose in a smooth, flowing motion, went to the old bench under the lime tree, and sat down.

"I still have a little time," she said as she pointed with an inviting gesture to the seat beside her.

Henry Maynard left his basket on the edge of the pool, took off his cloak and sat down beside Impa on the bench. He turned to her and put his palms together. For a brief moment he covered his face with his hands, overwhelmed by wonder and disbelief, but still full of joy. After settling his thoughts he took a deep breath and gazed at the bright red eyes.

"When I was a little boy," he began, "my father, who at that time lived in Castletown, one day took me to the castle to his monthly visit of the royal family. King Nohansen, Lady Zelda's father – who then was the same age as I – was the first to be examined. When he was finished, the old king sent us to the gardens to play. We soon became friends, and he told me a secret. I had to promise not to tell anyone anything about it, and then he brought me here. We crept through the hedge maze and through the wet, tall grass – because at that time it was not mowed – almost up to the fountain.

"And here... I saw you.

"It was a spring morning like this, and I was about ten years old. You sat by the fountain, just like today, and... I had never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.

"Madam Impa... since that day I love you."

Henry fell silent.

Impa had listened to him attentively. When he had finished, she looked at him for a long moment. Then she closed her eyes and slowly spread her hands before her. With a deep breath she opened her eyes and looked at her hands. After a few moments she looked at Henry and asked with a grave but friendly voice.

"Master Maynard, how many fingers do you count?"

Henry Maynard frowned in confusion and looked first at her hands, then back into her eyes.

"Ten... I count ten fingers. But what does this..."

But two soft, slender fingers came to his lips and closed them.

"It means, my dear Henry," Impa said with the softest voice, "that this is not a dream."

Her fingers wandered on and swept slowly down his cheek as her lips came to his.

Henry Maynard shivered when she touched him. Slowly he raised his trembling hands and stroked over her soft, white hair, as, after four decades of waiting, his dream finally came true.

2

They lay before the warm fire in the fireplace on a bed built by Henry on the floor from several blankets and pillows. He had quickly realized that his narrow bed would have been too tight. Impa lay under a blanket on her back with her arm over her forehead. Her eyes were closed and the blanket over her chest rose and fell slowly and evenly.

Henry Maynard lay on his side, supporting his head with one hand, and contemplated her. A reverent look lay on his face as he slowly stroked her hair, so white and so soft. She stirred under his touch and opened her eyes. Immediately she held a hand before her eyes, and Henry smiled.

"Five fingers," he said gently.

Her red eyes turned to him, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"That's right," she said. "No doubt." She put her hand to his cheek and he turned his head to kiss her fingers. Her hand went to his neck and pulled him down to her with gentle pressure. Their lips met in a long, quiet kiss until Impa withdrew.

Again she stroked his cheek and wrapped a lock of his hair around her fingers as she gazed at him lovingly.

"You made me a special gift today," she said softly, her eyes shining with gratitude.

Confusion covered Henry's face, and he wanted to ask, but again she put her slender finger to his lips.

"Sh...," she silenced him. "You gave me a daughter. I thank you."

His eyes widened with amazement. "You... you know that?"

She smiled and nodded. "I can feel her. She is still invisibly small, but she accepted you and decided to grow."

Henry straightened up and hid his face in his hands. He took a deep breath and let it out with a trembling sigh. When he looked at Impa again, his eyes shone with tears.

"Holy Sisters," he whispered, "I never thought... this is a dream, is it not?"

"You counted my fingers," Impa said as she took his hand. Slowly she opened his fingers and touched successively each, while she counted.

"One... two... three... four... five." He watched her as she counted, then he slowly shook his head.

"It's a miracle... you are a miracle."

"But you made it possible," she said. "You came to me, and for that I thank you."

Henry smiled a little sheepishly and looked away. But Impa also straightened, and the blanket slid off her body. She put a finger under his chin and lifted it gently to meet his gaze. Her red eyes looked into his as she asked:

"Do you wish to give your daughter a name?"

"My daughter..." he said softly, and his gaze slid to the distance. Then a radiant smile came to his face, and he looked back at Impa.

"Drilla... that is a word from the language of the Gerudos, and it means..."

"...rose," Impa finished the sentence with a nod. "So be it."

She lay her warm hands on Henry's new, solid shoulders and gently pulled him to herself. He took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. She kissed him back and came closer to him. They both fell back into the pillows as their kiss grew more passionate. Henry Maynard felt her soft skin and firm muscles, as her supple body slowly curled around his and consumed him.

3

The fire had burned down when Impa awoke. Beside her lay Henry Maynard, with his face turned toward her, his eyes closed and his arm around her waist. The inevitable reality test showed ten fingers, and she smiled. She gently lifted Henry's arm and wriggled from his embrace. She rose and walked to the nearby sofa where she had stored her clothes. Quickly and almost silently she dressed. Then she went back to the bed on the floor, where Henry was still sleeping quietly. He had now turned to his back, and she was glad that she would not have to move him. She knelt down next to him on the blankets, put her warm fingers on his temples and brought her face to his.

"Goodbye, my darling," she whispered and kissed his lips.

As gently as she could manage she entered Henry's mind and surrounded the memory of the day that had passed with a bright barrier of joy and gratitude. His mind was so beautiful, so honest, and so noble, and she did not have the heart to completely close the barrier. So she left a slight opening, like a keyhole. Softly she whispered the key that might someday reopen the memory for him.

"Drilla..."

Then she rose and left his chambers on silent feet before life in Hyrule Castle awoke.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

1

Bright children's laughter rang out as Impa turned around the corner. Instinctively, she turned her eyes down and saw a small, round face with huge, blue eyes, and surrounded by golden curls. Small arms stretched towards her from a cute, grass green tunic.

"Pa!" said the little mouth smiling, and four tiny teeth flashed within it.

"Eric, where are you?" she heard more children's voices. Three older children appeared laughing in the hallway. Their laughter died down, however, when they saw Impa, and their faces became serious.

"Good evening, Mistress Impa," said the oldest girl and gave an awkward curtsy.

"Good evening, Miss Elissa," Impa said. "Are you looking for this little runaway here?"

She reached down to pick up little Prince Eric. Instinctively he crouched his legs so that Impa could sit him on her hip.

Elissa nodded. "Will you eat with us?" she asked politely.

"Yes, I believe so," Impa smiled. "Who else is here?"

"Oh, many have come," Elissa told her excitedly. "Mama and Papa, and Sir Link and Lady Zelda... and Captain Pierce with Lady Roslyn.

"Well, then it will indeed be a large company, will it not?" Impa said in the conversational tone of the court. "Shall we go to the dinner party, my dear?"

Elissa immediately joined into the game, raised her chin into the air and gingerly lifted her imaginary skirts.

"Of course, my dear, let us hope that the soup will soon be served. For I am very hungry." Then she burst into bright laughter, and Impa smiled amused. Elissa's little siblings observed the two of them suspiciously, then trotted behind them as Impa went ahead with Prince Eric and their big sister.

It was the last day of the week, and King Link and Queen Zelda met their friends to a joint supper in the chambers of the royal family.

Impa walked with the children the last steps to the doors of the royal living quarters. Two guards stood in front of them and saluted dutifully as Impa approached.

"Madam..." they both said at the same time.

"Mister Thomas, Mister Daren," Impa greeted them with a slight nod.

"You are already expected, Madam," said the soldier named Thomas and knocked on the door. A young maid came out.

"Good evening, Claire," Impa said friendly.

"Good evening, Mistress Impa," Claire said smiling. "Please come in, the others are already here. Dinner is ready." She stepped aside to let Impa pass. Then she also shooed the giggling children inside.

In the living room a large table for all had been set. As Impa entered, Zelda immediately came to her. Eric held out his little arms to her from Impa's arm and shouted, "Ma! Ma!" Zelda took him in her arms and kissed his cheeks. Then Impa pulled mother and child into a warm embrace.

"I'm glad you're here," Zelda said softly.

Link, who was already sitting at the table, stood up and also came to Impa. He wanted to shake her hand, but Impa hugged him laughing.

"Don't think that now you can have me fobbed off with a handshake, Your Majesty," she said. "I'm not satisfied with that." Then she pulled back and lovingly looked at her protégé.

Thanks to his sharp mind and his friendly, modest but courageous nature Link had grown over the years into a self-confident and responsible person. He had earned the sympathy of the king and the whole court, and shortly before his marriage to Princess Zelda King Nohansen himself had adopted Link, and he had become Prince Link Wilrid Nohansen.

One year had elapsed since King Nohansen had passed the throne to his daughter and his son-in-law, and with a twinge of melancholy Impa thought back to the day fifteen years ago, when Link had appeared in the Castle gardens as an unknown boy from the woods.

"Being a king does you good," she said to him smiling.

Link pulled a face jokingly and tilted his head. "Hmm, I think it's more being a dad, that does me good. Being a king is the added icing it came with."

Impa waved him aside amusedly. "You braggart! Come, let me greet the honourable guests."

Jayrid Elinor came to Impa and shook her hand respectfully. He served in the Hylian Army and was one of the best swordsmen of Hyrule. Link had met him during his military training and Jayrid had become his friend. He was also the father of Miss Elissa and her two younger siblings.

"Good evening, Madam Impa," Jayrid greeted her and met her gaze with his soft, dark eyes. He had lovingly put his arm around his wife Helena, who also smiled friendly at Impa.

Last Impa greeted the Royal Instructor in Swordplay, Captain Daniel Pierce, a tall man in his late forties with dark hair and shining blue eyes, and his wife Roslyn. Impa shook both their hands, but when she amicably touched Captain Pierce's shoulder, he winced and grimaced in pain.

Impa frowned.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly.

Pierce lowered his gaze embarrassedly, but Roslyn nudged her elbow gently at his side.

"Now, come on, tell Madam Impa how you got into mischief, little nursery children that you are!"

"It was Kendrice," Jayrid announced.

"Kendrice?" Impa asked incredulously. "Do you mean our Minister Kendrice?"

"Of course!" Roslyn exclaimed reproachfully. "One should forbid them!"

Now Impa was completely confused. Seeking help she looked around and waited for an explanation. As nobody said anything voluntarily, she turned to Link.

"Link, what happened? Why is Captain Pierce injured?"

"Shall we sit down?" Zelda said to everybody around. "Come on, we can discuss this while eating."

Gently she pushed Impa to her chair and pressed her down. Impa reluctantly obeyed but she had the feeling that something should be hidden from her. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she waited for all of them to sit down. When all were seated and had jointly thanked the Goddesses, she looked again demandingly at Link.

"Well?" she said, crossing her arms with a raised chin.

Link sighed. "All right! We needed a fourth man who could come regularly when we practice with the swords. Captain Pierce asked around a bit and Lord Kendrice has offered. We take turns. He is a good swordsman, and everything was going well so far, but lately something is wrong with him... we can't explain exactly."

Link broke off and looked to his friend embarrassedly, as if he wanted him to continue.

"Mister Elinor?" Impa asked sternly.

"You don't need to look at me this way," Jayrid said in a reproachful tone to Link. "He doesn't have that from me!"

Impa's confusion increased. "Will you talk already?" she growled angrily. "Don't let me pull every phrase out of your nose! I want to know now what's the matter here!"

Link sighed again. "About a month ago he came to the meeting and made the suggestion that we should fight with real swords. He claimed that he wanted to improve, and that only a fight with sharp swords would be challenging enough for him, otherwise he need not exert himself. We thought nothing of it, and let him have his way. He brought his own sword – the one with this huge ruby in the pommel, you know it, don't you – and then we took turns fighting against each other. And... what shall I say... he is really good. I don't know where he suddenly has gotten this, but we have to work very hard to keep up with him..."

Impa had listened carefully to Link, but the more he told, the more gloomy her gaze became, and finally she endured it no longer.

"You fought with _sharp_ swords?" she snapped. "Do you realize..."

"Impa..." she heard Zelda's soothing voice.

"You mean you knew about this?" Impa shouted upset.

"Well..."

"It was kind of exciting," Jayrid said enthusiastically, "and we realized that our concentration was much better. So we went on and on. But then... when he came up with the two swords..."

 _"Two swords?"_ Impa breathed in disbelief, but Link resumed and continued.

"None of us can fight with two swords," he said, "except Captain Pierce. So he fought against Kendrice and was injured."

"Kendrice _defeated_ you?" Impa breathed in amazement and looked at Pierce.

"He did not... _defeat_ me!" Pierce replied with wounded pride. "He _injured_ me, but _I_ _beat_ him!"

"But barely," said Link.

"Gods, what a fight that was!" Jayrid sighed shaking his head.

"I don't believe this!" Impa said firmly. "Nobody injures Captain Pierce just like that. Maybe it's time that someone take the Minister down a peg or two!"

Jayrid nodded eagerly.

"When do you have your next training session?" Impa asked addressing the three of them.

"Tonight," said Pierce, "just after nightfall."

"You fight in the _darkness?!_ What _next?!"_

"Yes, he ..." Link stammered, sheepishly lowering his gaze to his plate.

"This Kendrice has instigated them," Helena said reproachfully. "I don't know what he's up to..."

"But he is good!" Jayrid exclaimed. "And we all improved. It's like a spell..."

"All right!" said Impa. "Captain, with your injured shoulder you are not able to compete against this miracle fighter, so I will fill in for you tonight. And woe betide, if the Minister disappoints me!"

2

Lord Richard Kendrice, member of the High Council of Hyrule, readied himself for the nightly swordplay meeting, which was scheduled for the late evening. To refresh his skills after a long pause, he had joined the king, Mister Elinor and Captain Pierce to their training sessions in swordplay. After Mistress Impa the three of them were the best swordsmen in the castle, but as Kendrice had gained back his old form after the long neglect, he had become a worthy opponent to them.

Since his wife had died at a young age, Lord Kendrice had not remarried. They did not have any children, and although he had wanted them fervently, he had not dared to approach a new relationship. And now... he was not young any more. Although he was healthy and had a strong body, with his fifty-three years it was not easy for him to find a woman who could still have children. Not that he would have looked for a woman... He knew that there was none who could reach his heart.

As his heart did not belong to him any more.

Lord Kendrice took off his dark blue Councilor robe which he wore over his exercise clothes, took his sword out of the support on the wall and attached it to his belt. He drew it from its sheath and examined it carefully. Its steel shone light blue in the glow of the fire, and the huge, irregular ruby in its pommel also sparkled like red flames. Slowly Kendrice swung the sword through the air, and its weight in his hand felt like a living extension of his arm. He reached out and tentatively let the blade hiss through the air a few times. Pleased, he then pushed the sword into its sheath and took the second sword which had specially been made for the exercise meetings.

There were two people in the castle who could fight with two swords. The first was Captain Pierce, the Royal Instructor in Swordplay. The second was Mistress Impa. Kendrice had always admired both of them for this ability. Therefore he had begun to train his left hand by binding his right hand to his back when he was in his chambers. It had been a torture, but he had soon realized, that it worked out and that he improved. At the same time he had realized that his mind developed with the exercise, and his memory also improved.

In the library of the castle he had found books on swordplay – in the different tongues of the tribes of Hyrule, and even one in the language of the Sheikah. As minister, he had good knowledge of several languages, but Sheikan was thought to be extinct. One day however, he had found a Sheikan grammar in the library and started with its help to learn this language, in order to be able to read the last book on swordplay.

Lord Kendrice put the belt with the second sword over his shoulder. He was wearing a dark red tunic over a white shirt and black pants tucked in soft boots. His gray eyes shone in anticipation of the fight tonight as he stepped out of his room with upright posture. They would fight again with sharp swords. A scrimmage among trusted friends, but spiced with the slight touch of adrenaline, that rejuvenated him.

3

Lord Kendrice strode calmly through the castle gardens towards the training area. The sky was cloudy and dark, and bright moths were fluttering around the burning torches along the path. Kendrice was in no hurry as he knew that his practice opponents were still sitting at dinner with the royal family. They would all come with full bellies and move sluggishly. He almost regretted that he had been so merciless to Pierce last time, that he had wounded him on his shoulder. Pierce had defeated him anyway, and Kendrice had surrendered to his disgrace with a bow.

Dark silence hung over the gardens. Kendrice stopped at a corner in front of a torch as a large moth caught his attention. In frenzied whirls it danced in the bright firelight, flew up close to the fire and dodged again when the flames reached for it with their lambent fingers. Kendrice stood transfixed by the fascinating spectacle, and his eyes shone with admiration.

So fast it was, so agile, so brave, and so bold!

But suddenly the moth flew upwards sharply passing the flame, and then in an arc back down, straight into the fire. With a soft hiss it burned and fell as a small pile of ashes to the grass in the darkness.

Kendrice was stunned and looked away. His heart pounded in his chest as a heavy sense of foreboding seized him.

 _I will burn..._

Reluctantly, he went on. The fine gravel crunched under his boots, and absently he laid his right hand on the pommel of his sword.

 _Andyr_ was its name. The Sheikan word for _fire_.

They had found a good place to practice. It was a circular area surrounded by a hedge and thus protected from prying eyes. In the center stood a large oak tree whose top was visible from almost any point of the castle gardens. Around the square they had set up several torches, so that they could fight outdoors even in their nightly exercises.

As Kendrice came to the last torch before the entrance to the hidden area, he took it out of its holder and walked with it to the narrow door in the hedge. He stepped through and turned around a corner piece of the hedge that protected the entrance from prying eyes as well. Six torches were standing there in the darkness, and an empty holder. Kendrice walked in a circle to light the other six torches, then put his torch into the empty slot.

Suddenly he heard a metallic hiss. He froze and held his breath to listen. Then came another hiss, behind him.

With his heart pounding, he turned and searched for the origin of the noise. Two swords had been drawn, and in the middle of the area, in the shade of the oak, but with white hair shining in the torchlight, stood... _she_.

4

Before he could say anything, she _sprang_ at him. She flew through the air and her swords hissed like the wings of a shear past one another. Instinctively Kendrice dropped and rolled forward as she landed behind him. He drew both his swords simultaneously as he rose from the role. At the noise she spun around and slammed with her right hand horizontally whereupon her left sword vertically rushed down on him. Again he ducked below the horizontal blade and escaped the other by a hair. The sheath on his belt hindered his movements, so he ripped it from its hook and threw it away. Impa used his delay and chopped alternating with two swords at him. He stumbled backwards and parried her blows first with the left hand, then with both hands. Impa persisted, her eyes glittering fiercely in the light of the torches.

Kendrice was fascinated by her beauty and her closeness, and he felt his movements become slow.

 _Don't let her captivate you!_

He pressed his lips together and continued parring her blows while he looked for an opportunity to attack.

 _She is very fast, but she doesn't like to bend down._

Impa began to perform oblique strokes alternating her two swords. Kendrice saw his chance because she had to take large swings so as not to impede herself with the two blades. He leapt forward, parried her blows with both hands and rolled behind her under her sweeping arms. With waving hair she whirled around and wanted to slash again. But Kendrice had used the moment and already attacked, so that now it was her turn to parry. Kendrice put all his strength into his chops and she gasped in surprise. Her red eyes narrowed and Kendrice noticed how she was looking for a gap.

 _Keep your eyes on her. You must foresee her moves._

Kendrice tried not to let himself become distracted by her glowing red eyes, by her full lips, and the supple body in the tight combat suit of the Sheikah... He tried to take in her entire form, so that he could watch the play of her muscles. He drove her back and recognized the moment she wanted to leap again...

Quickly he imitated her combination from the beginning and struck with two swords almost simultaneously horizontally and vertically. She could not leap, but she did not duck either. Instead she retreated, with her back to the tree, and parried his strokes. She wanted to go past the trunk of the oak and Kendrice suspected that she wanted to swirl around the trunk to get behind him, so he drove her back to the tree with merciless blows.

He had cornered her. Her eyes flickered wildly and searched for a way to escape, but Kendrice advanced.

 _I will burn..._

Their blades crossed for the last time, then Kendrice swung out with both hands and let his two swords whizz down on her.

She did not resist. With her head high, she stood with her back to the trunk of the oak and awaited her fate.

Kendrice's blades hissed through the air and stopped an inch before her neck. Stunned, he stopped with his arms crossed when he felt the tips of her blades on his chest.

She was breathing heavily, and small, moist droplets sparkled on her lashes.

Time slowed, and Kendrice closed his eyes as a shiver ran through his body. He looked back at her face and her lips moved.

"You are good, Lord Kendrice," she said. "But you have not won yet."

Slowly Kendrice raised his swords from her neck, and with a determined motion he threw them to the ground.

"It's a stalemate, Madam Impa," he said.

With a deep breath, he stepped back and put his hands on Impa's blades, which were still pointing to his chest. Slowly he pressed them down. She let it happen and gazed with her red eyes into his.

"Agreed. But tell me, Lord Kendrice," she said with a voice that made his skin shiver, "who did you want to impress with this?"

He reached her trembling hands and opened them gently to take out the swords. With a soft hiss, they fell into the grass. Then Kendrice stood before her and took her face in his hands.

"You, my Lady," he said in her long-forgotten tongue, before he lay his lips on hers, and flew straight into the fire.

5

When she awoke, the moon looked through the window, bathing the room in its silver-blue light. Impa pulled her hand before her face and counted her fingers against the light. So much had happened in the last few days that she had the feeling to have constantly counted her fingers. She counted five, as was the number of extinguished candles in the stand on the little table by the window. Her gaze swept over the floor of the room, and she saw scattered clothes and boots, as well as books and other items that had fallen victim to their passion. In a corner of the room metal glittered as the rays of moonlight fell on it, and Impa recognized the four swords and sheaths, which lay there on a pile with entangled straps.

He had kissed her. This strange, strong, wonderful man, whom she had seen a thousand times already at the Council meetings, had kissed her.

She had wanted to surprise him, she had wanted to test him, and she had wanted to humiliate him. Therefore, she had only eaten some fruit at dinner with Link and Zelda, before she had hurried to her chambers and had pulled on her combat suit. She had taken her two swords and had waited for him at the practice site indicated by Link, Jayrid and Pierce, to teach him a lesson. But he had fought well. She had been impressed by his quick reactions, but also by his strong, agile figure that she had seen for the first time without the usual long robe of the Councilors. And these eyes... this grim determination, and the longing that burned in them like fire... She had tasted his lips and had felt his desire in his touch. As if with that kiss his fire had flashed over to her she had seized him and returned his kiss, had pressed herself to him and clung to his body, while his warmth flowed to her through her tight suit.

And then he had taken her hand and picked up the swords with the other. Not for a moment had he let her go. In a desperate rush they had run back to the castle through the darkness in the gardens, past the perplexed guards, until they had reached his chambers. Gasping and whimpering they had ripped off each other's clothes, while their lips not once had parted. He had lifted her in his arms and carried her to his large bed, where their bodies and souls united in a savage blaze of raging desire.

Impa smiled as deep down in her innermost core she felt the small spark that had been conceived. Two cells had been prepared and had been waiting for their fulfillment. Both had found their meaning as their heritage had bonded in the most loving, passionate and tender way with the new cells.

 _Who would have thought..._

Carefully, she turned around and saw him lying beside her. He lay so calm and relaxed, and although his eyes were closed, his face seemed to shine from within. She brought her palm to his cheek and he stirred. His hand came to her hip and pulled her closer to him. Immediately Impa felt certain muscles in her body tense, ready to start the wild dance anew.

 _But first..._

"Are you awake, my Lord?" she asked in a low voice to his ear and kissed him. His strong hands moved down her back, and as he kissed her, he straightened up and pressed her into the pillows. Impa could barely endure the longing in her core, and she pressed him to her body until they had to part gasping for breath.

"Command me, my Lady," he said. "Do with me what you will, I am your servant." He came closer again and Impa met him greedily. "What... do... you... call... your... sword..." she managed to ask between kisses.

 _"Andyr..."_ he breathed.

Impa recognized the ancient word from her mother tongue, and with a desperate cry she wrapped her legs around his body, as the waiting emptiness inside her finally filled. _"Fire..."_ she whispered, as the flames surrounded her.

6

For the second time that night she counted her fingers. Oh, how she wished that it would be seventeen, or twelve, but not ten, because it meant that the dream was over. Lord Richard Kendrice lay sleeping beside her, and his calm, regular breathing indicated that he was in deep sleep.

Impa rose and silently picked up her combat suit and her boots. When she was dressed, she picked up his clothes as well in the dim light of dawn, folded them neatly and put them on a chair. She went to the corner with the swords and assorted each in the right sheath. But when she looked around the room, she found no support for them. She assumed that they might be in the salon, and made a mental note to put Kendrice's swords away when she left his chambers. She would also have to visit the two guards at the castle doors again, in order to erase the memory of her and Kendrice from their minds.

When she picked up the books scattered on the floor, her gaze found the title on the back of one book. _Arut ill Siverdis,_ she read in her mother tongue. _The Art of the Sword._ She laughed softly and felt her cheeks become warm. _This rascal,_ she thought, as her fingers swept across the front page, where the name of the author could be read: _Arut ill Siverdis, ill Impa ill Sheikah._

She put the books in a neat pile on the little table by the window and looked around. No trace of the devastation they had left behind could be seen.

So the moment had come.

When she approached the bed, for a fraction of a moment the question rose in her mind, whether she should take off her combat suit again and...

But then she smiled. _Perhaps_ , if she gave him a key...

She went back to the table where she found a small inkwell and a quill. With her heart pounding, she took her book from the pile and opened the last page. Only a few lines were on that page. She opened the inkwell and dipped the quill into the ink. With a swinging motion she wrote on the last page of her book the one word that had shaped this way too short a night for both of them: _Andyr._ Then she closed the book and put it back onto the pile.

Silently she walked to the bed and sat on its edge. Lord Kendrice still lay in the blissful sleep that followed a night of fulfilling passion, and his bare chest was rising and falling smoothly and evenly. Impa brought her palms to his temples and softly kissed his lips, as she entered his mind. She found there so much strength, energy and passion that she was almost swept away by the vortex. Attracted by its bright light, she went to the place where the memory of last night shone like a beacon in all directions. She was reluctant to confine it, as she wanted him to remember. What would her mother say?

 _Do it._

Slowly she began to build the barrier. But in the barrier she wove the delicate tendrils of her love, her joy, and her gratitude. And also this time she left a small opening that could receive the key.

When she left his mind, she rose and put on her two swords. She picked up his swords and brought them in the salon, where she found a support for both of them on the wall. Then she silently stepped through the door, and left her heart behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

1

She wanted to dream, but sleep would not come. None of the methods she knew to empty her mind or to relax had worked. Her breasts were tightly swollen and her body was restless. A constant tension flowed through her like magical energy, and she wanted to scream.

Nobody had told her anything of this. She wanted to talk to Ranalla, or to her mother, to anyone, as she could no longer endure this state.

Angrily Impa rose, pulled her robe over her night dress and stomped out of her chambers into the hall. Only a few torches lit the nightly corridor, and the guards standing at the corners startled as she hurried past.

"Madam..." a guard muttered confusedly as he abruptly awoke from the nap he was taking leaning on his spear.

"You shall not sleep!" Impa growled when she was already past him. Oh, she wanted to smash something, break something, _destroy_ something! The draft in her hands increased and the adrenaline in her veins infuriated her.

 _Zelda..._

She stopped as the doors to the chambers of the royal family came into view. Mister Thomas and Mister Daren, the night guards, also stood leaning on their spears and were talking quietly. When they saw Impa, they snapped to attention, but she wordlessly gestured them to stand comfortably.

"I need to speak with Lady Zelda," she said, trying to hide her tension.

"Oh... but it's the middle of the night, Madam Impa," Thomas said. "Their Majesties have gone to bed, you can not..."

"Tell me not what I can and can not!" she snapped. "I have to talk to her, immediately. If you do not knock, then I will do it."

Thomas glanced at his companion, then sighed and knocked on the door. Impatiently Impa walked up and down while she tried to ease the draft in her hands with quick movements of her spread fingers. After an eternity, the door opened and Link came out yawning.

"What's wrong?" he asked anxiously. "Has something..."

He broke off when he saw Impa. She came to him and grabbed the lapel of his robe.

"Zelda! I need to speak with Zelda. Alone."

Link backed away and his eyes narrowed. With an agitated movement Impa dropped the fabric of his robe and ran her hands over her face. "Please, Link..."

"All right... Come in. I'll wake her."

He opened the door and let Impa enter. Inside it was dark and quiet, and Link lit a candle on the table in the salon. Impa sat down on the sofa in front of the cold fireplace. Link brought her a blanket and lit the fire in the fireplace.

 _Fire..._

Impa wrapped herself in the blanket and stared at the fire. She could not think straight. Never had she felt so miserable.

Link came back from the fireplace and gently stroked her shoulder.

"I'll get Zelda," he said softly.

Impa nodded and pulled her legs to herself on the sofa.

After a short time Zelda appeared in the doorway to the bedroom and put on her robe. Impa saw Link shut the door behind her after nodding briefly to her.

Zelda came with a worried expression on her face to Impa and took her hands.

"You look terrible! What happened to you?"

Finally Impa could release her tears. She flung her arms around Zelda's neck and sobbed. Zelda held her and stroked her long white hair, while she talked soothingly to her.

"It's all right..."

But Impa withdrew. "Nothing is all right!" she cried sobbing. Hastily Zelda put a finger to her lips and gestured for her to be quiet.

"Sorry," Impa whispered in a choked voice.

Slowly the room warmed and Impa let the blanket slide from her shoulders. Grimly she looked at the fire. She felt Zelda's hand on her cheek, that gently turned her face to herself.

"What's wrong, Impa?" she asked with a gentle but firm tone.

Impa took a deep breath. "I... can not tell you."

Zelda frowned. "Oh."

"I must deal with this alone."

"I understand."

"But I can not sleep, and that makes me mad."

"Did you already..."

"Yes, I've tried everything. It's not working. Zelda, please help me."

Zelda looked at her in astonishment.

"You mean, you want me to..."

"Yes! I need something that calms me. I need to sleep, or else..."

"But do you know why you can not sleep? First you must find the reason for your insomnia!"

"Zelda, please. I _know_ why I can not sleep. Why I can not manage _alone._ That's why I need your help. It's a personal thing, and I can not talk to you about it. So, do you help me now, or not?"

Zelda sighed softly.

"All right. Do you want to sleep here or shall I come to you?"

"It would be nice if you could come to me."

Zelda smiled.

"All right then. Let's go."

2

At last she could dream. With an angry swing she pushed off the floor and whirled up. She broke through the ceiling of her bedroom and was outside. It was still night, and the sky glistened with stars. A cool breeze caressed her skin, while she strove higher still. Higher, _higher!_ Breathless and gasping for air, she stopped when the curvature of the Earth loomed against the darkness of the Universe.

 _Why do I still feel it?_

"Mother!" she shouted as loud as she could. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, darling," she heard her soft voice. Again she lay in her bed, and her mother sat in front of her and stroked her cheek. Impa quickly counted her fingers. There were far too many. She straightened up and looked at her mother angrily. It was dark in the room, but the stars shone through the window, and Impa could clearly see her mother's face.

"I did it," she said. "I am pregnant. Two children, a boy and a girl. They are healthy and developing well."

Her mother smiled. "You did well. Now you must tell Zelda that you will leave for some time."

"But that's just it!" Impa cried. "I _don't_ want to go away. I want to stay here! I want to stay here, with _him..._ "

"That is not possible, little one. We are servants of the royal family. Our children... are not our children. They are the children of Time, and they need to be trained."

"Why can I not train them? It's all in my heritage!"

Her mother sighed and looked away.

"I know it hurts," she said softly.

"How did you manage?" Impa asked.

Her mother looked at her again, and her eyes shone in the light of the stars.

"I... it was not easy for me either."

"But you had the Community. They were there for you, _he_ was there for you. I have no one. I must leave them with strangers, without the possibility to look after them myself. And I see him every day, and it breaks my heart that he does not remember!"

"It is best this way, for all," her mother said. "You will see, you will get over it. And it will be better when you go and leave all this behind, at least for as long as it is necessary."

Impa grimly pressed her lips together.

"You will just have to do it soon," her mother said, "otherwise the insomnia will persist."

Impa sighed. She nodded reluctantly.

"Please, don't do anything rash, all right?" said her mother, taking her hand.

"All right," Impa nodded.

"I will go now, my darling. Call me if you need me."

Her mother stood up and walked through the door. Impa watched as the door closed slowly behind her. She clenched her fists and looked up at the window. The stars still shone in the sky, as if winking at her. But there was something else out there. A reddish glow was in the sky, and Impa frowned.

 _I do not wake up..._

She rose from her bed and went to the window. As she approached the window, the glow grew brighter, and then she saw a single light far out in the gardens.

A torch. The torch called her with a wordless plea in the night.

 _Come..._

She quickly spread her wings and flew through the window towards the torch. As she came closer, she saw that someone was standing there, a man. His dark red tunic was illuminated by the torch and stood out in sharp contrast against his white shirt. And there, on his belt, something else shone.

Impa landed beside him. It was the pommel of his sword, which glowed red at his side. He raised his gaze to her and looked at her in amazement. But a painful trait lay around his eyes, and his sad voice let a shiver flow through Impa's entire being as he spoke.

"Who are you?" he asked. "And why am I here? Can you tell me?"

3

She awoke in tears from the sun shining through the window directly in her face. It was morning, and she had overslept. She should have been in the Council meeting by now, and she jumped up hastily wanting to get dressed. But a sudden dizziness stopped her and she had to sit on the bed again.

 _Oh no... not that as well..._

Impa had witnessed Zelda's first weeks of pregnancy and thought with horror of all the symptoms that had plagued Zelda. Dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, they alone were sufficient to make her life a living hell.

She tried to stand up slowly to go into her small bathroom. Halfway there was a knock at the door.

"Impa? It's me, Zelda!" she heard Zelda call from outside. "I know you're there. May I come in?"

"No!" Impa cried.

But Zelda came anyway. At night she had followed Impa to her chambers and had gently entered her mind to calm it so Impa could fall asleep. But she was embarrassed, and she felt terrible, and she did not want to face Zelda. At least not until she had washed and dressed.

"How do you feel?" asked Zelda.

"Bad! Go away," said Impa.

"Did you sleep?"

"Yes, and nobody woke me up. I did not run, and I did not meditate either. And the Council will think..."

"They will think nothing," Zelda said soothingly. "I told them that you are not well and that you need a few days of rest. Although they were curious and worried – especially Kendrice – they will have to accept that. I will not let you attend the meetings, as long as you have not recovered."

"Don't you understand, Zelda?" Impa called upset. "I never had such a thing – to be not well! I eat healthily, I work out a lot, I train every day – damn it, I am the best sword fighter in this kingdom! I don't want this, I have to..."

Zelda broke into a chuckle and Impa ceased her sentence, stunned. "Why are you laughing?" she asked.

"Impa, how old are you now? Two hundred and sixty? You act like a sulky child. If I did not know better, I would think that you..."

"Two hundred and fifty eight!" cried Impa. "I have my pride too, you know!"

But Zelda said nothing more. With large, wondering eyes and her mouth open she stared at Impa, and Impa's heart faltered.

"What?" she asked, frowning.

"Who is it?" asked Zelda, who could barely contain her laughter.

"Who is who?" asked Impa, and a gloomy expression settled on her face.

"Come on, Impa, do not insult my intelligence. A woman feels this sort of thing. I've known you my whole life, you can not hide anything from me. So who is it?"

"Nobody," Impa said sulkily. "I took the memory away from him. He does not know."

"But why?" asked Zelda. "Do you not love him?"

"But that's just it!" cried Impa. "I do! That's what makes it so difficult. I wish someone could also erase the memory from my mind, so I don't have to…" Ashamed, she trailed off.

"...think of him all the time?" Zelda finished her sentence.

Impa nodded. "I must leave, Zelda," she said. "It's better this way. Otherwise I go crazy."

Zelda gently put her arm around Impa's shoulders. "Oh, Impa..." she said, shaking her head. "All the time, you were the one who gave me support. I could always count on you, never did you let me down. I would be honored to return the favor. Please, open your heart to me. I want to help you."

"You have enough on your plate already..." Impa objected, but Zelda put a finger to her lips.

"Shh... never mind that. Tell me what you have on your mind."

Sighing, Impa took a deep breath.

"All right. Worse than it is at the moment it can hardly become. So... the Code of the Sheikah requires that I give birth to my children in seclusion and then separate myself from them. They shall be raised by a community that lives far away in a hidden village in the mountains. They take care of them, train them and prepare them for their task. My job was just to conceive them. I must leave the castle before my pregnancy is visible."

 _"Them?"_

"Yes... there are two children. A boy and a girl. And of course, two fathers, but I only think of one..."

"And... what do you want to do now?"

"I can feel them inside me, Zelda. My telepathy is very strong, I can not isolate myself. I'm feeling them constantly, they are connected with my mind, and... I... _love_ them."

"But that's wonderful! How far are you along?"

"Two weeks."

 _"Two weeks!?"_ said Zelda with astonishment. "I could not feel Eric until I was in the fifth month!"

"Yes, I know. It's a little different with the Sheikah... We also have a longer pregnancy."

"How long?"

"Twelve months."

Zelda thought a moment. "But... that also means that it will be visible later, right? So you have almost six months or so left..."

"Yes. But I must leave. I can not stay here, because it breaks my heart that I can not have him."

"You don't want to tell me who he is?"

Impa shook her head.

"All right. But how do you know of the code? There are no other Sheikah."

"I know it, because it is in my heritage."

"I understand. But somebody must have put it there... don't you think?"

Impa shook her head. "The heritage will always be passed on to the next generation. You can not influence it."

"But in every generation there will also be added something. Something new, or not?"

"Yes... presumably."

"Could it then not be that at some point, in some or many generations, the heritage will be changed nevertheless? That new ideas will be included? That the heritage adapts to the time? Perhaps it was once necessary to raise the children this way, but now it does not necessarily need to be so any longer."

Impa took a deep breath. She had never before looked at it this way. She gazed out the window and remembered her dream, the man she had met at the torch. His eyes had been so sad, so full of longing and pain.

 _"Who are you? And why am I here? Can you tell me?"_

Maybe Zelda was right. Maybe it was time that a new age began for the Sheikah.

"I am the last of the Sheikah" she said thoughtfully. "I carry the heritage in me. I can not change its core, but I could... give it a new... wrapping, something that soothes the pain that it causes..."

Her eyes lingered in the distance, and a small glimmer of hope slowly slid into her mind as she looked smiling at Zelda.

"Thank you, Zelda," she said, squeezing her hand. "I will think about it."

"So you will stay?"

"Yes, for now." She felt herself calm down. "In September are the exams of the elite fighters, and I hope I will make up my mind until then. Who else could do the exams?"

"There still is Pierce..."

"Oh, not him," snorted Impa. He is a little child. He can fight, I will not deny that, but an examiner needs more than that. The examiners have always been Sheikah. You must be able to see what is going on in the candidate's mind. Pierce can not do that."

"If you say so..." Zelda said, but on her face was a mysterious smile that remained hidden from Impa.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

1

Lord Richard Kendrice came to his chambers soaked in sweat. He unbuckled both his sword belts and put the swords in the brackets on the wall. Then he got out of his boots, took off his pants, the shirt and tunic he had worn to the session, and went into his little bathroom to wash off his sweat. As he dried himself, his gaze got caught by his reflection in the shaving mirror. The beard stubble had grown and he would have to shave. He looked into the eyes of his reflection and noticed a feverish shine in them. He had not slept well. At first he had struggled to fall asleep, and then his sleep had been filled with strange dreams. Most of the scenes he could remember only dimly, but one had remained in his memory when he awoke.

It had been in the gardens. In the dream he had woken up and had seen a red glow through the window. When he got up to look through the window, it had become brighter. He had seen a single lit torch there, and it had called him with a strange voice.

 _"Come..."_

He was sure that he knew that voice, but he could not place it. He had gone down and had realized that he was wearing his red tunic. He had come to the torch, and no one had been there. But a lone moth that was circling the torch with breathtaking speed had suddenly flown into the fire and burned. Kendrice had woken up wincing and with his heart racing. The moment when he woke up he had known what the dream meant, but within moments this knowledge had seeped back into the depths of his mind and had left behind only fear and bewilderment.

In the morning he had gone to the Council meeting. He could not concentrate, and Mistress Impa had been absent again. Lady Zelda had excused her, but he was worried. One was not used to Mistress Impa missing the Council meetings. He would try to address her.

2

Kendrice took his razor and shaved his face, pulled on a pair of trousers and a dark tunic, and then the official robe of the Councillors. For the evening, a banquet was scheduled in the throne room to honor the guests from the neighbor kingdom of Labrynna.

Thoughtfully, he walked through the long corridors until he reached the banquet room. Many guests had already gathered, and in his mind he made a list of the personalities he wanted to greet. Some children hopped around the buffet, and Kendrice smiled. Some members of the court had resisted the new practice that children were allowed to attend the official events, but he found it refreshing. He had always wanted children and wistfully thought back to the time when it had still been in the realm of possibility.

Queen Zelda sat with Helena Elinor and Roslyn Pierce at a table, next to her the queen of Labrynna. They were chatting and laughing. King Link stood in a group together with several other formally dressed personalities, and Prince Eric sat on his shoulders watching the crowd from his raised position.

In a corner of the room stood Mistress Impa. As always she wore her combat suit and on her back Kendrice could see her two swords. She was the best fighter in the kingdom, and as for the fight with two swords, nobody could hold a candle, not even the Royal Swordmaster, Captain Pierce. Kendrice admired her for that, and this admiration offered him a fierce motivation to constantly improve his skills. He was sure that the exercises with sharp swords, which he performed with King Link, Jayrid Elinor and Captain Pierce for a few weeks now, contributed significantly to this improvement.

Impa stood upright with her arms crossed and let her calm gaze slowly roam around the room. Kendrice realized that she was watching the children and was taking care that none moved too far away from their parents. He walked slowly through the hall towards her while he nodded friendly to the people he passed. Some shook his hand and addressed him with a few words. As he approached Impa, suddenly a little girl ran to her, who Kendrice recognized as Miss Elissa Elinor, one of the children of Jayrid and Helena Elinor. She tugged at Impa's tunic and said something that Kendrice could not understand. Impa answered her smiling, but remained standing.

"But you must definitely try them!" Kendrice heard Miss Elissa say as he walked on.

"I will stop by later, Miss Elissa," Impa said. "The cream cakes from earlier still last."

"But then they will be gone, Madam Impa, people are already rushing on them like vultures!"

Kendrice laughed and Impa became aware of him. Instantly her expression became serious.

"I'll be right there, Miss Elissa," she said to the girl. "Just go on and try the almond slices before they are gone. You can take care that there will be some left for me, all right?"

"All right..." Elissa said, looking respectfully at Kendrice as she withdrew.

"Good evening, Madam Impa," Kendrice said.

Impa blinked and seemed confused.

"Good evening, my Lord."

"I just heard that the cream cake is very good this evening. And the almond slices must be exquisite."

Impa smiled hastily, but Kendrice had the impression that she was embarrassed.

 _Maybe you should change the subject._

"You were not at the Council meeting this morning, and Lady Zelda said that you were not well. I am worried. Can I help?"

Impa avoided to look at him. Her eyes twitched restlessly around the room but seemed to find no hold.

"Yes, I... It's all right, Lord Kendrice," Impa said, swallowing. Then she looked away and for a moment closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"Forgive me," she said hurriedly, "I have to go."

With quick steps Impa walked up to the large doors of the throne room and Kendrice remained baffled. He saw Queen Zelda pursue her with her eyes and say something to her as she passed. But Impa just shook her head and disappeared through the doors, which were opened by the guards for her.

3

 _Away, get away, fast..._

Impa ran through the corridors to her chambers. Her swords clanged on her back and the blood rushed in her ears. She had barely restrained herself. He had been there before her, had tried to make conversation with her, and the only thing she could think of was the fastest way to tear off his clothes. It was now four weeks since she had tasted his lips, since she had felt his firm body against her, and four weeks since she had made him forget all that. Tears crowded in her eyes and her longing for him consumed her.

She could not afford to cry in front of the servants who crossed her path everywhere, and frantically she held back her tears. Finally she slammed the doors to her chambers shut behind her and sank to the floor, while her body jerked in helpless spasms. Her hands clenched into fists and hit the floor as she struggled to keep the desire that burned within her under control. Oh, she hated herself! Why hadn't she pulled off the suit again and crawled back to him under the covers, back into the bliss of his arms, back into his warmth, his strength... and his love?

A knock on the door caught her attention and she paused with a start.

"Impa?" came Zelda's voice.

"Go away!" she cried in a sob.

But as always, Zelda came anyway.

She knelt to Impa on the floor and took her in her arms.

"Oh, my poor, dear Impa," she said tenderly. "Is it that bad?"

"I feel sick," Impa said. "Something will happen, I'm afraid."

"Should I get Master Maynard?"

 _"NO!"_ Impa shouted with a piercing voice, writhing jerkily from Zelda's embrace. "I do not want him to come here!"

Zelda drew back in alarm.

"Impa..." she said soothingly. "He can help you. You need to calm down..."

"I'm fine, I'm just feeling sick. Gods, if I had known this... How could you ever endure this?"

Zelda smiled. "Probably because Link was with me..."

Impa covered her face with her hands. "And you knew that he loves you, that he remembers your love."

"Oh," said Zelda.

Impa nodded and looked away.

"You know, I took it all from him. I believed it was necessary, so that he would not suffer. His memory... it was so bright, so radiant... his whole mind was flooded whit it, and when I built the barrier, it became almost dark in there..."

"Oh, Impa... I'm so sorry! Is there no way..."

"You know that it is not possible. I would have to enter his mind again, and I do not want that. I would feel like I... cheated him."

"But you know, sometimes the memories find a way out..."

"When I did it, he was in a deep sleep, so the barrier is especially strong. I do not think he could break through by himself..."

Zelda gently stroked her hair.

"If you could tell me..."

But Impa just shook her head.

"I can not. I have to go through this alone. After the exams I will leave, and until then I will carry on somehow. Maybe... if you could free me from the Council meetings... it's so difficult to feel their faces on me, because I am absent so often."

"If it helps you..." Zelda said thoughtfully. "But I will have to give you another task, otherwise there will be rumours. How about helping Pierce with the training of the elite fighters? _Din_ knows he has enough to do, he is certainly grateful for any help."

"All right," Impa said, sniffling.

 _At least I will not meet him there as often as in the Council meetings._

4

He was dreaming.

It was dark outside and the sky was a black cloth above the land. Not a single star was to be seen. In spite of that, there seemed to be something that attracted him. He got out of bed and heard a faint rustling on his body. When he looked down at himself, he saw the red tunic. He looked at his arms and saw the white shirt. Instinctively his hand went to his belt, where he felt the familiar shape of the ruby. The ruby had a name, and it was also the name of the sword.

The light shone brighter in the room, and Kendrice gazed to the window.

 _"Come..."_ he heard the torch call outside.

He went out and noticed that he had somehow passed through the wall of his chambers. He could also go through all the other walls, through the walls which surrounded the gardens, and through all the hedges. The torch attracted him and shone brightly in the starless night.

 _Why does it call me?_

He reached it, but no one was there. A large moth whirred in tight circles and spirals around the flame, and Kendrice heard a little whisper.

"Are you the one who calls me?" he asked.

 _"Come... to the fire..."_ whispered the moth and flew in a wide arc straight into the flames. It burned with a hissing sound and the ashes fell to the ground. Kendrice was seized by a deep sorrow.

 _Why did you do that?_

While he mourned the moth, he heard something like a flap of wings. A shadow landed beside him. He raised his gaze and looked into red eyes that shone like two blood-red stars in the light of the torch.

"Who are you?" he asked in amazement. "And why am I here? Can you tell me?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

1

She was well.

She was feeling wonderful. Nimbly she hopped over the training ground and played with her opponent. She watched as he tried to follow her movements, and smiled amusedly about his sluggishness.

"Come on, Mister Daren," she tempted him. "Should I tie my other hand on my back as well?"

The watching soldiers laughed, and Daren attacked with a grim look in his eyes.

"Maybe we should blindfold Madam Impa," Pierce said, "so that you have a chance at least."

"Go ahead, Captain," called Impa. "I want to see if Mister Daren can find me if I don't see anything."

His blows came faster now, and it seemed like he had better control over his mind. She gave him a radiant smile.

"That's good, Mr. Daren," she praised him. "Remember, your opponent will try to weaken your concentration by mocking and ridiculing you. You must not let his mockery impress you."

Then she saw her chance, and with a flashing blow she struck his sword out of his hand. Stunned, he raised his hands in the air as she slipped around him like a cat and whispered in his ear: "And neither his praise."

Frustrated, he dropped his hands.

Impa held out her hand and said:

"I would offer you my right hand, but as you can see, at the moment that is... well... difficult." The soldier had to think before he also offered her his left hand and bowed.

"It was an honor, Madam Impa."

The audience applauded and Daren went to fetch his sword, which had flown to the edge of the square.

"What's next?" asked Captain Pierce everybody around.

"Double sword!" someone exclaimed.

Impa shivered, and her gaze moved restlessly over the gathered men, but the rest of the crowd was already shouting: _"Double sword, double sword!"_

And then she saw him. Helplessly she stood there and could not flee as he came towards her. He stepped close to her and looked into her eyes.

"Turn around, my Lady. I will free your hand. I want to see you fight with both hands."

Impa's heart was racing, and she believed that he could definitely hear it, as close as he was. Slowly, as if in a trance, she turned her back to him and closed her eyes as his hands touched her and she felt his breath on her neck. He untied her hand and for a moment took both her hands in his as he whispered in her ear.

"Take sharp swords."

Impa shivered again and feared that her heart would jump out of her chest straight away. Kendrice let go of her hands and withdrew. She saw him give his two sheaths to Pierce, before he drew both swords from them. In his right hand she saw _Andyr_ , the fire sword with the red ruby, that was her destiny.

She swallowed and shook her head to shake off the stupor.

"As you wish," she said slowly and gave Pierce a sign. He cast her two swords to her and she caught them on the hilt from the air. "You will burn."

Then she stood in her fighting stance and Kendrice imitated her. The audience had become silent and watched with fascination as Impa and Kendrice circled each other. She tried to appear calm in spite of the feelings that raced inside her.

 _Could it be the pregnancy? I must calm down, otherwise he will humiliate me._

She tried to look at him just like one of her usual opponents, who, like all the others around, should learn his lesson. But she realized that she had already hesitated too long.

"Are you afraid?" Kendrice asked mockingly.

And in that instant something snapped out within her. With a wild cry she jumped on him, and struck with both swords at his head. But he was gone when she landed. He ducked so quickly under her attack that he was already attacking when she turned to him. She had to parry and was pushed back.

 _"Yes, Lord Kendrice!"_ the soldiers shouted and applauded. He seemed to draw more courage from their cheer and attacked her with swift stroke sequences. She twisted under his blows and dodged them rather than repel them, until she came closer to him.

 _Just wait! Now I got you!_

She was so close to him that their arms were almost touching when she began to attack. He gasped in surprise as she hurled _Andyr_ from his hand with a whirling blow. Meanwhile, more soldiers had gathered for the spectacle, and Impa heard disappointed cries as Kendrice's sword flew in a wide arc and fell to edge of the training area. From the corner of her eye she saw Pierce going to pick it up. Kendrice immediately took his other sword in his right hand and parried Impa's blows.

"Today you are in excellent form, my Lady," he said, and his breathless voice drove Impa out of her mind. She had heard this voice, but close to her ear, on her lips...

With a furious scream she flew at him with a force she had not expected in herself. Kendrice stepped back in surprise, but her rage drove her on and on, and then...

The crowd cried out as Impa's blade grazed his neck and Kendrice's perplexed hand went to his wound. When he lowered it, Impa saw blood on it and horrified, she dropped her swords. She stepped back and bumped with her back into Pierce, who had rushed over.

"Is everything all right, Madam?" she heard him ask like through a dark wall.

"Yes, I ..." she murmured, closing her eyes as her vision began to waver.

"Get Master Maynard," called Pierce. "I think we have two patients here."

 _No... no..._

Staggering she broke away from Pierce and ran. Everything within her screamed and cried, and whimpering she hurled the soldiers in her way to one side as she fled from the two fathers of her children.

2

"What was that all about?"

Kendrice's confused gaze followed Impa, who was rushing like mad from the training ground. Slowly he became aware of Pierce's question, who had stepped up to him and was examining his wound.

"What?" Kendrice asked blankly.

"Did you see her eyes when she flew at you? What did you say to her?"

"Oh, that..."

"She _wanted_ to hurt you, everybody here saw that."

"I watched how she dispatched of poor Mister Daren, and when he was even being grateful to her, I could endure it no longer."

"It's just a scratch," Pierce said, letting go of Kendrice's neck. Let Master Maynard put some ointment on it and it will heal in two days."

"Thank you, Captain," said Kendrice.

"Here is your sword," Pierce said, giving him the sheath along with the sword. "So what did you say to her that she so swooped down on you?"

"I mocked her a little, just like she did with Mister Daren."

"What do you mean? You don't mean you made some lewd remark, right?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Kendrice said shaking his head. "I respect her too much for that. I asked her if she is afraid."

Pierce's eyes opened wide.

"Holy sisters... Lord Kendrice... She will never forget that. I don't want to be in your place next time you will have to fight her."

Quietly smirking and shaking his head Pierce looked at Kendrice from the side. "It's not good to have Impa as an enemy, my Lord. Not good, I tell you."

"Oh dear..." uttered Kendrice. "What have I done... I wanted to teach her just a little lesson. She is a little megalomaniac, don't you think?"

"She's the best," Pierce said. "The best in the castle and the best in all of Hyrule. And if I were in your place, from now on I would look over my shoulder now and then, if you value your life."

With this Pierce went to his soldiers while looking back to Kendrice again and again, smirking and shaking his head.

 _What have I done?_

3

For dinner Impa was invited to Zelda's and Link's place. On the way to the royal living chambers she noticed how all servants and guards backed off before her. They whispered softly behind her back, but her keen ears heard everything.

 _"She has wounded the Minister, you say?"_

 _"Shame on him, to provoke her so! It serves him right."_

 _"He was lucky. When she is angry, she is not to be trifled with."_

After the fight with Kendrice she had run to her chambers and had poured a bucket of water over her head. It had been a radical reaction, but after that she had felt better. Trembling, but content and full of satisfaction she had sat down on the floor and meditated. She had managed to empty her mind and find her focus. Two other presences had been there, that pulsed softly with a delicate light inside her. So tiny, but so beautiful, so pure and so tender. Smiling, she had come out of the meditation and had gone to Zelda to ask if she could take a bath in their bathroom. She needed that now. She wanted to wash away the dirt of the training area, and perhaps a little of her shame. Zelda had gladly permitted, and Impa had enveloped her body with the warm water that felt so much like his hands on her skin.

 _It hurts so much... not being able to touch him..._

Day and night she thought of him and longed for him, and every time she thought of him, a thousand shivers raced down her skin and through her innermost Being. Her body craved for him like a man dying of thirst in the desert craved for water, and she was mad with desire. By day she could bring her mind to keep the thought of him on the edge of her consciousness, but at night everything flowed back to her with newly awakened power. And over and over again she had this dream. She knew it was Kendrice she saw, but she did not understand why he was there in her dream. She had tried to ask him ever so often, but she could not bring anything out of him other than the few words she knew.

 _Maybe it's something that I have taken with me from his mind..._

She came to Zelda's door and, like every evening, she saw the soldiers Thomas and Daren standing before it.

Both saluted reverently and said with humble voices:

"Madam Impa..."

"Mister Thomas, Mister Daren, good evening."

Daren quickly knocked on the door and Claire came out.

She was smiling and her eyes sparkled with pride.

"Good evening, Mistress Impa," she said and pushed Impa through the door. When she entered the salon, her heart stopped, because at the table, along with Link, Zelda and little Prince Eric... sat _he._

She turned around on her heels wanting to go back out the door, but Link said in a commanding tone that only a king was capable of:

"Impa."

She remained rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do. Zelda came to her and took her hand. Slowly she led Impa to the table and pushed her onto the chair opposite to Kendrice, who had risen. Impa lowered her gaze for a moment.

 _Look at him, you_ _ha_ _ve done nothing wrong. He has challenged you._

"Good evening, my Lord," she said calmly and looked into his eyes as he sat down again. She saw respect there and a little fear, and that comforted her. He nodded slightly.

"Madam Impa."

"Lord Kendrice came to us this evening because he did not find you, Mistress Impa," Link said in a formal tone. "He would like to submit a request."

With a small gesture he urged Kendrice to speak.

"Madam Impa," Kendrice said with a firm, sincere voice. "I would like to formally apologize for the words I said to you during our fight. I want to express to you my deepest respect and ask your pardon."

Impa was stunned. She would never have expected such a thing. She lowered her gaze for a few moments, then looked back in Kendrice's eyes.

"Do such a thing again, and I will kill you."

Link sighed audibly and his shoulders sagged with relief. "Lord Kendrice," he said, amusedly clearing his throat, "that means that Impa has forgiven you."

Kendrice also exhaled in relief and smiled. Impa wanted to dash at him and wrap her body around him, to feel his burning lips on hers...

But she only swallowed and forced herself to offer him her right hand with a small smile. Kendrice's hand approached hers, and with a crackling spark her energy discharged before they touched. Impa felt the look that Link and Zelda exchanged, and decided to put them to task.

"Thank you, Madam," Kendrice said, shaking her hand with manly strength. Then he rose, and Link stood up as well.

"I thank you also, Your Majesty, and you, Queen Zelda." He bowed to Zelda and shook Link's hand. Zelda sat Prince Eric on Impa's lap and he instantly wrapped his little arms around her neck and cried happily: "Pa!" They brought Kendrice to the door and said goodbye to him.

"Good night, Madam Impa," she heard him say, and turned to him.

"Good night, my Lord," she said with a calm voice.

 _Goodnight, my Love._

4

The dinner was an ordeal. Impa's entire body was under tension and she dropped something all the time. Eventually Zelda placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looked at her with a sympathetic smile.

"Is it that bad?"

"You told him!" she growled at Zelda.

"Told whom what?" asked Zelda, frowning.

"Link, you told Link." Impa pointed with her chin to Link who patiently emptied his plate. He paused and looked at her with a stern face.

"If you come here in the middle of the night, ranting and railing at half the castle, I want to know what's going on," Link said. "She told me that you're pregnant, not more. Should I know more?"

Impa snorted.

"And the poor Minister. What did he actually do to you? He came here this evening and was completely beside himself. He believed that you would lie in wait for him now around every corner, just because he teased you a little."

"He had no right..." Impa flared up.

"Impa, people start talking," Zelda said softly. "I don't know any more what to tell them, how to excuse you. It can't go on like this."

Impa pressed her lips together and looked away. Link quickly finished eating and took Eric from Zelda's lap.

"Come on, son," he said. "We must leave. I think the Ladies want to be alone."

"Shall we go to the sofa?" said Zelda and laid a gentle hand on Impa's shoulder.

They left the table and went to the sofa. Zelda had dismissed Claire before dinner and Impa was grateful for that. Although she liked Claire, Impa did not want more people to learn of her secret.

When they had settled, Zelda turned to her. Attentively she looked at Impa.

"Will you tell me what has upset you so?"

Impa shook her head. She raised her hand and spread her fingers in front of her. Quickly she counted them and found five. Angrily she twitched her head and held back a curse.

"See this hand?" she asked Zelda.

"Yes, what's the matter with it?"

"It trembles. That's the matter with it. It trembles and it shakes and there is a terrible draw in it. In the Water Temple there are jellyfish that release electrical energy. If you approach them, you can feel the energy in the water. And when you touch them and they discharge, that energy flows through your entire body. You feel paralyzed and yet your muscles twitch uncontrollably, and you can do nothing about it."

"I know that," Zelda said.

"I feel as if I constantly were in the energy field of those jellyfish. All day. And at night, too, when I'm not just haunted by these dreams."

"Dreams?" asked Zelda in surprise. "Nightmares?"

"No, not nightmares. They are very conscious, and I remember them, but I do not understand them."

"Do you want to tell me about them?"

Impa shook her head with a pained expression. "I can't."

" _He_ is there, is he not?"

Impa ran her cramped fingers over her face.

"I am yearning for him. I can not eat properly anymore. I..."

She burst into broken sobs and Zelda took her in her arms.

"Impa, you need to eat," she pleaded. "You have two children in there who need food. This must end. Tell me who he is, and we will think of something."

"No... no... don't you understand? What if he does not remember? What if he _never_ remembers? Actually, it was planned for him not to remember. It was only because I did not have the heart to make it definitive, that I gave him the key."

"Wait," Zelda said and withdrew to look at Impa. "You left him a key?"

Impa nodded, but her eyes brimmed over with tears.

"What kind of key?"

"A word."

"Where is it?"

Impa shook her head again. "He must find it himself."

"Does he have a chance at all to find it?"

Impa nodded. "If he... if he looks for it..."

Zelda also nodded slowly.

"Then there still is hope."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

1

Lord Richard Kendrice was upset.

He was coming home from the nightly training session where Captain Pierce had once again defeated him in a fight with two swords. After a brief exchange of blows Pierce had disarmed him and the fight had been over.

"How do you do that?" Kendrice had asked him. "Mistress Impa also does it, but I could never see, how. It goes so fast that you can not follow the movement with your eyes. I don't understand."

"My Lord," Pierce had said, "this trick can not be learned. You can only find it and master it immediately. Unfortunately, I can not show it to you, because it is a secret."

"This way you will always defeat me," Kendrice had growled in frustration, "and so will she."

"So it would seem, my friend," Pierce had said. "But don't worry, you have apologized. That way you have gained one more chance."

"Oh, I don't think so," Kendrice had expressed his worry. "She will take me apart, the next time we meet. I no longer dare to face her."

"Practice makes perfect," Pierce had said at the end. "See you tomorrow, Minister. Bring the rupies you have lost today."

"You will ruin me, Captain," Kendrice had replied, shaking his head. And Captain Pierce had gone home laughing aloud.

Now Kendrice was standing in his chambers before the mirror, looking into his own frustrated face.

"Loser!" he growled at his reflection.

 _I am getting nowhere. I step on the spot and can't go ahead._

He went into his bedroom and took off his clothes. After he had washed, he got into bed and put out the candles. Gloomily he stared into the darkness.

 _This trick can not be learned. You can only find it and master it immediately._

The words of the Captain rang in his mind, over and over again. But _where_ could it be found?

In the light of the stars his gaze fell on the books on the small table by the window. He had read all the books on swordplay he had found in the library of the castle. All except one. He found it difficult to read because he had not yet mastered the Sheikan language well enough. Mistress Impa had written it, that was sure.

 _What if_ she _found the trick?_

Kendrice rose and lit the candles again with a match. He took the book from the pile and sat down on the chair in front of the table. Quickly he searched the spot where he had stopped reading the last time and began to read greedily. His progress was slow, but he forced himself forward with grim determination.

 _I'll get that bastard yet!_

2

The red glow in the night woke him again, and he rose in astonishment. He saw himself sitting and reading on the chair by the table near the window.

 _But no…_

He was no longer reading. His eyes had fallen closed, and his head had sunken to his chest. He had dropped the book and it lay open on the floor.

But Kendrice did not care. Outside the torch called him, and he had to go. _Fast..._

He hurried through the night, past bushes and trees, benches and fountains. This time the torch was further away, he believed, or it was not so bright. He followed the light worrying that he would not reach it in time. Something would happen there, something he had to prevent. Something would be lost...

 _"Come..."_ whispered the torch in his head. _"Come... to the fire."_

Suddenly, he was there. He looked around in panic and searched...

There was the moth. It swirled in wild circles around the flame and muttered in a constantly rising and falling tone: _"Into the fire, into the fire, I will burn!"_

Kendrice thought feverishly. He desperately wanted to save it, he _had to!_ He stepped closer to the torch and tried to foresee the paths of the moth in order to catch it.

 _Now, now!_

In a high arc the moth came flying and Kendrice reached out his hand. The moth was so fast that Kendrice had to follow it with his hand, and then he burned.

With a cry he awoke. His head snapped up and he jumped up from his chair. With his heart pounding he moved his hand before his face and saw hot wax that had dripped from a candle on it. He shook his hand in panic and the pain vanished. He noticed that his bare feet were standing on uneven ground, and looked down. Under his feet lay the book on the floor, and Kendrice snatched it up and pressed it to his chest. He had almost destroyed it.

He went into the bathroom and washed his face to banish his terror.

 _Why does this dream haunt me?_

He knew the dream would have carried on if he had not been awakened by the hot wax.

He blew out the candles, lay back in bed and stared at the ceiling.

 _Something is wrong here._

He had to go to someone who could help him solve this puzzle. To a telepath. But not to Mistress Impa. He shook his head. To Zelda. He would go to Zelda.

3

Kendrice could barely wait for the end of the Council meeting. He needed to speak privately with Lady Zelda, but she had to go to Court after the meeting...

He had not slept well, because he had been afraid to fall into that dream again.

"...dismissed."

Kendrice's face snapped up. He looked around, confused. The other ministers rose and left the Council chamber after they had shaken the hands of the Royal Couple.

"Is there something more, Lord Kendrice?" Link asked him respectfully.

"Yes, I ..." he stammered. "Well... if I'm honest..."

Link smiled at him encouragingly.

"You didn't fight with Mistress Impa again, did you?" he asked amusedly.

"No... no..." Kendrice shook his head. "But I have a private question that I would like to discuss with Lady Zelda. Would you agree, Your Majesty?"

He looked alternately at both of them, and they both nodded.

"Of course, Lord Kendrice," Zelda said. "Link will go to Court without me, and I will follow later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Kendrice said, relieved.

Link nodded, kissed his wife and left the hall. When he had gone, Zelda looked at Kendrice expectantly.

"Lady Zelda, I need your help in a personal matter. Under normal circumstances, I would go to Master Maynard with something like that, but I fear that in this matter he can not help me."

"Are you all right?" Zelda asked, concerned.

"Yes... physically I feel good, very good indeed. But lately I'm being haunted by a certain dream which I do not understand. It occurs again and again, in slightly different forms, but the end is always the same."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Kendrice took a deep breath.

"I wake up and out in the gardens I see a red light. When I go closer, I realize that it is a torch. I go to the torch and find a moth that is buzzing around the flames. As I watch it, it flies into the fire and burns. I usually wake up then. Sometimes a winged creature with red eyes comes to me and I ask it why I'm there."

Zelda thoughtfully looked into the distance. Then her eyes turned to Kendrice again.

"Did you experience such a situation in real life already?"

"I do not know. When I have this dream, I always know what will be there, and what will happen. And I try to prevent it."

"Have you ever had telepathic contact with someone?" asked Zelda.

Kendrice shook his head. "Not that I remember."

Zelda was silent.

Kendrice hoped anxiously that she would have an answer for him.

"It could be anything," Zelda finally said. "Some childhood experience perhaps."

"But I did not have these dreams before. They started only a few months ago."

Lady Zelda listened attentively. "A few months ago, you say?"

Kendrice nodded. "Do you have an idea?"

"It must have been a traumatic experience. One that you unconsciously want to forget, or..."

With wide eyes and her mouth open she looked at him.

"Yes...?" Inquired Kendrice.

"...or someone _wants_ you to forget it."

"I do not understand," Kendrice said, confused. "Would this person not have to enter my mind?"

Zelda nodded slowly. "Indeed."

"But I can not remember..." Kendrice said, and a painful look came into his face.

"Of course not," Zelda said. If someone was in your mind, he probably created a barrier. It does not seem to be complete, however, since some fragments are leaking outwards. You are not consciously aware of these fragments, but in your subconsciousness you can perceive them. In your dreams."

"Can the memory be brought back?" Kendrice asked with a beating heart.

"If the barrier was left open intentionally, yes," Zelda said. If a telepath does that, he leaves the... well... the victim, you might say... a key."

Kendrice briefly put his hands on his face and swallowed. He took a deep breath and asked:

"How could such a key look like?"

Zelda raised her hands. "It could be anything. A word, a sound, an object... anything."

Again Kendrice had to swallow. "Tell me, Lady Zelda, could you find the key for me?"

But Zelda smiled sadly and shook her head. "I'm afraid no, my Lord. Only you can do that."

"But... you could find out whether there is a barrier in my mind at all, right?"

Zelda nodded. "I would have to enter your mind and search for it. Would you like me to do that?"

Kendrice nodded slowly.

"Please. What must I do?"

Zelda smiled. "Nothing at all. I can connect my mind easiest with yours if I touch you here." She pointed with her hands to her temples. "Is that all right for you?"

Kendrice nodded again.

Zelda called her magic and sent a barrier to the doors of the room. "It is important that we are not disturbed," she explained. She then came to him, sat down on a chair in front of him and turned to him.

"Just relax and close your eyes. As soon as I put my hands on your temples, I will enter your mind. You will not notice anything, because it happens all at the level of your subconsciousness."

4

Zelda put her hands to Lord Kendrice's temples and he closed his eyes. Gently, she went through the outer layers of his mind, which let her pass willingly. She was fascinated by his strength and his intelligence, but because she knew him, she was not surprised. It had to be so. But as she entered the innermost chamber of his subconscious, she immediately saw the brightly shining dome. It beamed through his whole mind and shone brighter than any other memory. It was of a beauty and a purity Zelda had never seen before. The light attracted her like magic and she flew closer and closer. But as she came in front of it, she realized that she could no longer advance. She stepped on the spot and was unable to walk closer. The barrier was so finely wrought that she almost envied Kendrice for it. She circled the dome to search for the opening.

 _There..._

A small gap was left open, and fine rays of the memory were trickling out. Artistry was required to create such a narrow opening, and Zelda knew that only one person was capable of doing it.

The realization came not unexpected. It hit Zelda like a confirmation of an apprehension, and if one considered everything that had happened so far... it made perfect sense.

Suddenly she felt like an intruder. This memory came from the innermost core of Lord Kendrice, and no one – _no one_ – should have access to it, except he alone. She withdrew through all layers until she stepped out of his mind and opened her eyes.

He also abruptly opened his eyes as he felt her move. Slowly she lowered her hands stroking tenderly over his cheeks.

"Oh, my Lord," she said with a gentle smile. "You have a beautiful memory in there, but it is surrounded by a barrier."

Lord Kendrice looked at her with a painful expression and pressed his lips together.

"The way I see it," Zelda continued, "the barrier has been built incomplete by intention. This means that the person who has built it has left you a key somewhere. If you find it, it will open the memory for you. I wish very much that you find it."

"But how..." stammered Lord Kendrice and lowered his gaze. "How can I find it? How will I know that I have found it in the first place?"

"When the key is found, it acts immediately," said Zelda. "It may be overwhelming for you, when the time comes, but you will know it at once. Without any doubt."

Lord Kendrice shook his head. His eyes came back to Zelda.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said softly. Then he slowly stood up and walked to the door, while Zelda dissolved the magical barrier. When he had gone, she remained sitting for a while lost in thought.

 _Oh, Impa..._

She could not tell her. Impa would sink into the ground in shame. But Zelda smiled. She was very happy for Impa, because Lord Kendrice was truly the right man for her. Smiling quietly, she nodded to herself and went out. When she came to the throne room, she found Link in a conversation with several Council members. Kendrice was not among them. She stood beside him and gently took his hand. Link stroked with his thumb over her fingers and excused himself to the Council members. Then he stepped aside with her and kissed her.

"You are glowing" he said smiling. "What happened?"

Zelda hugged him and whispered softly in his ear.

"I believe we have found our culprit."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

1

The exams of the elite fighters were nearing. They were scheduled for the beginning of September and it would be a huge event. First, there would be a tournament for all fighters who wanted to participate, in various disciplines such as sword fighting, archery, as well as racing and swimming. Impa had always participated only as an examiner. The men – and sometimes women – trained and then signed up for the test if they believed to be ready. The tests were very severe as Impa tolerated no failure. All soldiers knew that and therefore trained very hard. She had noticed good progress in many of those who she was training, and she had told Pierce which of them should sign up for the test and which should rather wait. Pierce diligently followed her advice, as of course he did not want to embarrass his fighters before the assembled audience. People came from all over Hyrule to the exams, and not only Hylians, but also Gerudos, Zoras and Gorons would be among the spectators.

Impa's children slowly grew within her. They were still tiny, as they would only grow faster during the second half of her pregnancy, but their mind was already developing very early. Slowly she calmed down and suspected that the children had something to do with it. She was still yearning for Kendrice and experienced everything from heat waves to cold sweats when she met him, but she could sleep better and her appetite had also returned. Since she was the only living Sheikah, there were no midwives who had experience with her pregnancy, and Impa would not have told any midwife anyway. She would have to leave after the exams, because when her pregnancy would become visible... she was afraid that she would not be able to endure that.

At the regular dinner with Link and Zelda, Captain Pierce had said that Lord Kendrice's training sessions had doubled. "He has fallen into a kind of maniacal zeal," he had said. "I believe he will not give up until he defeats me."

"Hopefully this will not lead to a sort of... competition feud between you two?" Link had asked, but Pierce had dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand and a chuckle. "I think the training keeps him young, and he has begun to read a lot of books about sword fighting. He even gets them from abroad! But," he then had added with an reverent bow to Impa, "in my opinion there is only one book he must read."

Impa knew that Kendrice had borrowed her book from the library. She only knew of this single copy in the castle library.

 _Has he brought it back?_

She would have to check.

Therefore she marched with determination through the corridors towards the library, and smiled at the guards who were standing in front of the door.

"Madam Impa..." they greeted. One of them was a good fighter and she had recommended to Pierce that he registered him for the exam. Also Mister Thomas and Mister Daren, Link and Zelda's personal guards, were among the candidates.

The soldier jumped nimbly and opened the door for Impa. "You're a flatterer," she told him with a wink. It was even possible for her to flirt with the guards occasionally, without bursting into tears immediately. The soldier bowed reverently. "As you say, Madam."

She knew that Kendrice spent much time in the library, so she stopped in front of the doors when the guards had closed them behind her. Her eyes wandered over the bookshelves, searching for him. If he should be there, she would leave immediately and come back later. But the library was empty, apart from the young girl who worked at the issue desk. She greeted Impa with a slight nod, and Impa went straight to the shelf where she knew that her book would normally be. It was not there. Impa considered and went to the girl at the desk.

"Miss Lane," she began. "I am looking for the book _Arut ill Siverdis_. Is it currently borrowed?"

The girl looked at her list and nodded. "Yes, Lord Kendrice still has it, but he should bring it back today."

A shiver ran through Impa's body.

 _No..._

"Should I reserve it for you, Madam Impa?"

"I beg your pardon?"

A terrible roar rose in Impa's ears and her vision blurred. She felt her legs give way and instinctively she reached for the table.

"Madam Impa, are you well?" the girl asked with an anxious voice.

Impa swallowed and tried to remain standing. She looked at the girl in spite of the loud noise in her ears, and forced herself to keep her eyes open.

"Yes... Miss Lane. No, there is no need for a reservation, I already read it..."

She forced her legs to move and walked to the door.

When she reached out to put her hand on the doorknob, it turned, and Impa pulled away her fingers, as if they had been burned. She stepped back, and the door opened.

She saw the face of the guard who opened the door and stepped aside so Lord Richard Kendrice could enter.

He was barely a step away from her and looked at her in surprise. Her eyes got caught by the books he was carrying in his hand. Her book was among them.

"Madam Impa..." Kendrice greeted her. His voice was but a whisper and her eyes came back to his lips. She could barely refrain from stretching out her hand to touch those lips that could kiss with such passion...

And which now would never do it again.

She stepped back and let him pass, then she ran out through the open doors.

That was it. Her life was over.

2

Lord Richard Kendrice watched after her as she was leaving, and frowned.

Something had been there in her eyes before she left. Something broken, something final. Confused, he brooded over it for a moment, then shook his head as if to expel the strange thoughts, and walked further into the library.

He went to the table of the librarian, Miss Lane, he knew.

"Good day, Lord Kendrice," she said with a smile. "Were the books helpful?"

"I'm afraid, that what I sought was not within them," he said regretfully. "But now I really must return them, must I not?"

"Yes, Lord Kendrice," Miss Lane replied. "Would you like to have a look again?"

"I believe I already read all the books that interest me," he said sadly. "Maybe later."

"As you wish, my Lord," she said, taking the books to take them to the shelf. When Kendrice saw how she was taking the books to put them away, a strange feeling suddenly seized him. He had brought back Impa's book and the Grammar. _Arut ill Siverdis_ was the last book on swordplay from the library, and he had not read it completely. Could it then not be that he missed something?

"Wait a moment, please, Miss Lane," he called.

"Yes...?"

"Could... could you look up who else borrowed _Arut ill Siverdis_ besides me?"

"Nobody. I know that," Miss Lane said immediately. "It's written in Sheikan, and no one knows the language any more today." She was about to move on. But he had reached her with a few steps and touched her arm to stop her.

"How long have you been here, Miss Lane?" he asked her.

She stopped and looked at him, frowning.

"I've been working here for five years, my Lord, and in that time, no one has borrowed the book except you."

"And before that?" he persisted. "I mean, before you began to work here. Are there still any records?"

Her face brightened. "You mean from Mister Warner? He has worked in the library before me."

"Yes... for example. Can you get them?" asked Kendrice.

"I think so," she said. "Wait a moment." She went back and put the two books on the table again. Kendrice followed her holding his breath. Miss Lane went to a small cabinet behind her desk and pulled out some books. She looked inside them briefly and then brought one to the table.

"That's it. I'll have a look... Ah, here it is already. It was ... about seven years ago that someone else borrowed the book."

"Who was it?" asked Kendrice, and his hands were shaking with tension.

"Captain Pierce."

"What?" said Kendrice in surprise.

 _Of course._

"That bastard!" he exclaimed.

"What do you mean, my Lord?" Miss Lane asked timidly.

"Oh, forgive me, Miss Lane," he said. "But in this case I would like to borrow _Arut ill Siverdis_ again. And also the Grammar."

3

With a light heart Kendrice returned to his chambers and brought back the two books that he had almost returned to the library.

There were two more weeks until the exams, and Pierce had his hands full with the preparation of his candidates. The training would thus be limited for Kendrice. Unless...

 _No... she will never condescend... Not if you don't have anything to impress her._

He immediately took on the book and read eagerly from the point where he had stopped before. Somewhere in this book there had to be the secret Pierce had spoken of.

He read now with a completely new motivation, eager to miss absolutely nothing. With time he noticed that many words sounded strangely similar to the Hylian. Especially the word for _sword._ He looked for other similarities and found rules, laws that he could transfer from one word to another. This way he learned to deduce words that he did not know, and the more words he learned, the quicker he could read. After a few days he had read half the book, and the content was like a revelation to him. The text spoke of feelings, of a sense for the enemy that the fighter had to develop. Through targeted observation of facial expressions and body language, he was able to calculate the actions of the enemy, and could interpret his intentions.

And then one evening, when Kendrice already was about to go to bed, he found the treasure. It was a single sentence in a page of text, but the moment he read it, he knew he had found what he sought.

He put the book aside and dressed again. He quickly took his two swords and ran out into the corridor. Captain Pierce lived in another wing of the castle, and it was a long way, but he would do anything. He had to know!

When he came to the doors of Captain Pierce's chambers, he banged at them impatiently with his fists.

Pierce came out in his robe, with a candle holder in his hand.

"Lord Kendrice!" he exclaimed in surprise. "What brings you..."

"I found it!" Kendrice said with a conspiratorial air.

"Found what?" Pierce asked, frowning.

"The secret! The Secret of the Sword, you know. _Arut ill Siverdis!_

Pierce's mouth opened in sudden understanding.

"Ah..." he said.

"And now you must fight with me immediately!" urged Kendrice. "I can not sleep until I have tried it out."

"But..."

"Come on, Captain. I want to do it in the dark, with two sharp swords. You know, during the day we can't. The king does not like it when someone sees us."

Captain Pierce ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head."

"All right," he muttered. "My wife will not be pleased. I'll be right with you. Go ahead and light the torches."

4

In passing Kendrice took a torch from those who stuck in brackets along the walls. Excited, he went through the corridors and could barely refrain from running. But with his swords in one hand and a torch in the other, it was not easy. He was annoyed that he had not brought the sword belts, but to go back to his chambers would take too long. So he went as fast as he could. The guards at the exit doors saw that he had his hands full and opened the doors for him. Their faces showed amazement, but they did not say anything, because they knew that Lord Kendrice often practised in the evenings with the sword, although this time it was rather late.

Kendrice took the shortest route to the gardens and looked for torches along the way that he could kindle. From this part of the castle he had never gone to the secret training ground, so he did not find the torches immediately. But when he turned a corner, he saw an upright mounting in a niche of a hedge and lit the torch in it. When he wanted to go on, a strange sense of familiarity with the sight stopped him. The fire of the torch glowed red in the night and Kendrice stared wide-eyed into the flames as he remembered his dream.

 _Who are you? And why am I here? Can you tell me?_

Suddenly he knew that he had looked at the flames this way before – outside of his dream. But he could not remember. He shook his head and went on to the next torch. When he approached the training ground, he found the torch he knew, and lit it. Then he walked through the narrow door in the hedge and came around the angled part. Again he was seized by that strange feeling of familiarity. He went to the first torch and lit it, and the sensation that time stood still was overwhelming. He slowly traced his way to all the other torches and put his in the last bracket. When he had finished, he drew his two swords from the sheaths, and the sound made him shiver. Jerkily he turned to the trunk of the oak and peered into the shadows.

He _knew_ that he had experienced this or something similar before. But when he fought with Link, Jayrid and Pierce, they had always arrived in pairs or in a group of four, never alone.

 _But still..._

Kendrice heard the soft rustle of the hedge as Captain Pierce entered the training area. He quickly came to the round and put his sword belts to Kendrice's sheaths on the ground.

"You will have to make up for this, my Lord," he said. "Roselyn gave me hell. She almost sent the guards to chase me."

Kendrice nodded. "Thank you, Captain." He squeezed Pierce's arm with gratitude. "This is very important to me."

"Yes, I know," said Pierce. "So, how far have you come?"

"About halfway. Then I found something. I want to try it."

Pierce pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that could be about right. Well, then..." He took his two swords and threw himself into his fighting position. "...Defend yourself, my Lord."

5

Breathless and drenched in sweat, the two men shook hands.

"I see that you have learned," Captain Pierce said. "It is not easy, this Sheikan, am I right?"

Kendrice shook his head. "In the last week I have read through almost every night to reach this point. I almost brought the book back to the library, when I had the idea to ask who had borrowed it before me."

Pierce chuckled, shaking his head. "Very clever, indeed, my Lord."

"How did you actually come by that book?" Kendrice asked curiously.

"Well, I was looking for literature that I could recommend to my elite fighters – those who are also interested in the tactics, not only in the technique. So I scoured the library and read everything I found. Once, when I was talking with King Nohansen about this, he said to me:

 _'_ _Hold on a moment, Captain Pierce, I think I have got something for you._ _'_

"And he went into his study and returned with _Arut ill Siverdis_. He told me that it was a book from the library and I took it with me. When I looked at the book at home, I was amazed, because I did not understand a single word in it. I looked at the author – and I was perplexed. It was Impa! I thought, everyone knows that Impa is the last Sheikah, and she surely would have written the book in her own language. So I asked around a bit and heard from a scientist who lives near Lake Hylia. I visited him and he actually had a grammar of the Sheikan language."

They went and put out the torches at the practice site, and Pierce spoke on.

"But he was a rascal, that scientist. He wanted to have a strange, smelly frog for the book. I had to ride to the Zoras and buy such a frog in their store for a fortune – I found out later that one finds these frogs everywhere in the water near Zora's Domain, they got the better of me there. The scientist wanted to have the frog alive and I had to hurry, because outside water it could not survive for long. But finally the man gave me the Grammar – and here we are."

"So then you are the one who has brought the grammar to the library," Kendrice said, astonished.

"Yes, my Lord!" Captain Pierce said with a playful bow. "At your service. But now, if you do not mind, I would like to return to my warm bed. We can continue talking tomorrow, if you like."

"If I get out of bed at all..." Kendrice said. "All my bones hurt. If I had known that this fight would take so long..."

"That is because you have not yet read the whole book, my Lord," Pierce said. "Only after you have read the entire book, you will be able to defeat her."

Kendrice turned abruptly to Pierce.

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.

"Well... I thought... you have set your mind on defeating Mistress Impa, have you not? Why else would you put in all this effort?"

"I have never looked a it this way before..." Kendrice said thoughtfully. Again there was this familiar feeling. "Did you ever defeat her?"

"Oh, I'll be careful not to fight against her," Pierce said with a laugh. "She is merciless in her vengeance. And there is a rumour, that the man who ever defeats her, will be her destiny."

"You mean nobody has ever defeated her? No one?"

"No," Pierce said shortly with a wry smile. "Would you like to try?"

A shiver ran through Kendrice body. He took a deep breath and looked at Pierce. "I don't know, Captain. You tell me."

Pierce creased his face and stopped. He scratched his head and rocked it slightly back and forth. "Your technique is very good, you are very agile and persistent, and you also do not mind to hit the dirt from time to time. In my opinion, what you lack... is sobriety."

A surprised look came to Kendrice's face. With a gesture he urged Pierce to continue.

"Forgive me, my Lord," Pierce said, and cleared his throat, "but... Impa... is a very beautiful woman. She is strong, and proud, and bold... and beautiful. When you see her fight, it's like... I don't know how to describe it... like a spell. One is captivated by her. No one escapes her."

Kendrice swallowed and looked away.

"And I watched you as you fought with her," Pierce continued. "You challenged her. You mocked her and humiliated her. And she showed no mercy. There was something in this fight – from both sides – if I did not know better, I would say..."

Pierce snorted a smile and shook his head. Startled, Kendrice turned back to Pierce, as he broke off. He had the fierce feeling that he was on the track of something important, something that could make a difference between life and death.

"What? What do you mean, Captain? Speak on!"

But Pierce put out the last torch and grabbed Kendrice's shoulder. "It's late, my Lord. Read the book to the end, and you will understand. Until then, I would keep out of Mistress Impa's eyes if I were in your place. Good night, my friend."

With that, Pierce left him there and disappeared into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

1

Two days until the exam.

Since Impa had seen Kendrice taking the book back to the library, all her hope had dissolved. She no longer dared to leave her chambers from fear that she could meet him somewhere and collapse. Then perhaps they would call Henry... sweet Henry, whom she had made forget...

Why had Kendrice put her in such flames? She could not explain. When she saw him, her hands were drawn like magically to his temples, to enter his mind and finally tear down her own barrier, to be with him forever.

 _But no. I could not bear it._

Zelda had come to her and had brought her the list of men who had registered for the exam of the elite fighters. She had looked at Impa with such compassionate eyes that Impa had brought herself to go to the practice site. She had tried to show only her proud, unwavering self. The men had all been polite and respectful towards her, and Captain Pierce had greeted her with a meaningful, loving look, that had reminded her very much of Zelda. She had fought with a few men and had given them some final instructions, and then she had left.

The next morning the tournament was to begin. The sites had already been prepared on the huge area behind the castle, and she had inspected the one where the exam fights would take place. Everything was in order. After that... she would leave.

He would not find the key. Nobody except Impa knew where it was, and she could not tell him. She could not tell anyone, not even Zelda.

Her body curled up in bed, and slowly, shaken by her deep sobs, she fell asleep. In the semi-conscious state between sleep and wakefulness, a fine presence wriggled to her mind. On closer inspection there were two. Their little minds were so pure and so delicate that she wanted to take them in her arms and press them to her chest.

 _But the time will come._

It would take another half a year, but then she would finally be able to take them in her arms, her two children.

 _"Mommy..."_

She startled from her half-sleep. She had heard the voice clearly... or had it been only in her head?

 _"Mommy..."_ came a second voice, a little different than the first, but just as beautiful.

 _"Mommy, why are you sad?"_

Gasping, she straightened up.

 _"Drilla?"_

 _"Am I Drilla?"_ It was the girl who spoke.

 _"Yes, my darling, you are Drilla,"_ she replied.

 _"That's nice... I like Drilla."_

Impa was wide awake and realized with astonishment that she was talking to her unborn children through her telepathy.

 _"And me? Who am I?"_ asked the other voice.

Impa smiled. _"You are Andyr, my little one."_

 _"But... why are you sad when you say my name?"_

A shiver ran through Impa and she wanted to speak. But she did not know what to say.

 _"I am sad..."_ she began carefully, _"because I love someone whom I can not have. And your name reminds me of him."_

 _"Why can you not have him?"_ Drilla asked this time.

 _"Because... well..."_

 _"Because you were too cowardly!"_ her conscious self broke the silence in her thoughts. _"You could have been with him, but you did not dare to give up everything and belong to him. To take your chance. Do you not know that Love overcomes all obstacles? And look at Link and Zelda. Their love has even crossed the timelines!"_

Impa trembling brought her hands before her eyes and began to count. There were twelve fingers. _TWELVE!_

 _This can not be..._ Never had she heard her conscious self in a dream, or spoken to it. Where did these voices come from?

"Mama?" She called softly into the silence. "Where are you? Are you here?"

She shivered when a gentle hand touched her head.

"I'm here."

Impa turned and fell into her arms, which enclosed her with warmth and love.

"What shall I do, Mama?" she sobbed. "I can't go on any longer. I'm dying of longing for him, I die without him. If not for the children... I... I would have long ago put an end..."

Her mother gently hugged her. "I know, my girl. And I am here to help you."

"But how? If he does not remember..."

"Then you can also forget him, my child. There are ways."

Impa broke away from her in alarm and pulled back.

"What... what did you say?"

"I can help you to forget him. Then your heart will have peace."

"But... but..." she stammered. "I don't want to forget him. I want him to remember me! Remember us! Everything!"

"That is impossible, my child..."

 _"You can still help him!"_

The two voices had overlapped and Impa had heard them both simultaneously. Confused, she looked around. She saw herself standing at the door to her chambers and watching her with a stern look.

"Did... did you speak?" she asked.

 _"I did."_ Her tone was proud and commanding, and Impa thought that she recognized the tone that she used when she talked with others.

"How did you get here?" she asked quietly. She looked around and saw her mother still sitting behind her.

 _"Your children have called me. They want to find a way to help you. They feel your sadness."_

"But... I do not want to forget him!"

 _"We don't want to help you forget, but we want to help you to help him. But we must both work together. Your subconscious mind and your consciousness. You have to make a plan in the conscious and execute it in the subconscious. That is the way."_

Impas eyes snapped open. Immediately she counted her fingers. She could clearly see them, and there were ten.

2

Lord Richard Kendrice awoke.

As he moved, he bumped his elbow on something hard in his bed. He pushed the blanket aside and found the book. There were still some pages left and he made a mental note to read them in the evening. When he got up, he felt refreshed and alert. He quickly went into his bathroom and washed the sleep from his eyes and his limbs, then he dressed. First he wanted to run through the woods, before the competitions started at the tournament. He had arranged to meet with Captain Pierce to watch the competition of the lay sword fighters.

Since the nightly conversation with Captain Pierce, Kendrice had done a lot of thinking. Could it be that in his fights he let his feelings guide him too much? Was it wrong to be guided by feelings? Or should one be guided only by the right feelings, and the wrong ones were just hindering? He had read Impa's book almost to the end and had gained many new insights from it, but they had confused him even more than given him clarity. Only the realization with which he had succeeded... not to defeat Pierce, but also not to lose, had given him a crucial push in the right direction. The hint was, that it was better to fight in a battle for a stalemate, than for the victory. That was the secret. But how could he _win?_ How could he... _defeat_ her?

Impa. She had seemed very strange in the last months. Since half a year now, she did not seem to be herself. She seemed to avoid him, he barely saw her any more. What was wrong with her? Was she still angry with him because of that little skirmish? Maybe he should try to talk to her? But so far she had always fled when he came near her. Also... already before that fight, in which she had wounded him.

Kendrice shook his head to dispel the confusing thoughts. Perhaps Pierce knew more about it. He seemed to know her very well and knew a lot about her peculiarities. When he had apologized to her at Link and Zelda's, she had replied so icily that he first thought he had made things even worse.

 _Or have I really?_

But Link... he would know what she meant. He knew her since he was a child. Again Kendrice shook his head. He would talk to Pierce. But first, he wanted to run.

3

After lunch Kendrice came to the site where he was to meet with Captain Pierce. The Captain was already there and sat in the stands together with Link. On Link's shoulders sat Eric and watched the bustle around him with big, wondering eyes. Kendrice smiled. He loved to see how lovingly Link took care of Eric. He tried to be together with Eric as much as he could and took him with him wherever it was possible. He had a wonderful bond to his son, and Kendrice was happy for him.

Link and Pierce waved at Kendrice, inviting him to themselves in the stands. He went up, shook both men's hands and sat down on an empty seat next to Captain Pierce.

"Good day, Lord Kendrice," Link said, taking Eric from his shoulders onto his lap. Eric protested but Link hugged him and said laughing: "We are going to the archers. There is less bloodshed there, even if they are fighting with blunt swords here. Gentlemen, I wish you much fun!" With that he rose and went on his way, while he sat Eric back on his shoulders, to better get through the crowd.

Down in the arena, the fighters were getting ready. There were some brave young men from Castletown, Kakariko, and the surrounding villages. They fought with blunt swords against each other and Kendrice enjoyed watching their moves.

"The young man with the green tunic," Pierce said, "what do you think of him?"

Kendrice looked at the man and nodded approvingly.

"I mean, with a little guidance and training in the right direction, he might become a good fighter. And also the one with the yellow trousers."

"I agree with you, my Lord," said Pierce. "I just hope that Mistress Impa will also see these men, because her word will be decisive when we offer them an education."

Kendrice jumped startled. Impa? Should she be here? Alarmed, he let his gaze wander over the spectators in the stands...

And then he saw her. She sat opposite to him on the other side of the stand. Her hair was strictly tied and she gazed with a grim look.

Not at the fighters in the arena.

She looked across the arena and over the fighters exactly in his direction, her red eyes boring into his. He smiled uneasy and gave a slight nod. She did the same, but her expression remained stern.

He turned his gaze back to the fighters and said, without looking at Pierce:

"She is here, Captain."

"Ah... so you have seen her..." muttered Pierce with a grin. His tone had the slightest touch of suggestiveness and Kendrice was confused. He looked back at Impa, but her eyes were still fixed on him. He felt as if her eyes could see into his innermost self, and a shiver ran through his body.

"Something is the matter with her," said Pierce, who had followed Kendrice's glance. "She has her eyes glued to you."

"Surely she is wondering how she can best impale me with her two swords," Kendrice said grimly.

Pierce broke into a chuckle and shook his head.

"While I see this..." he said. "I always wanted to ask you what happened with that fight that night."

Kendrice looked at him in surprise.

"What fight do you mean?"

"Well... that night, when you had wounded me on the shoulder. Don't you remember?"

Kendrice shook his head in confusion.

"We were all at Link and Zelda's, and Impa was there, too. She was terribly upset that you had wounded me, and she promised to fill in for me and teach you a lesson. Did she do it?"

Slowly Kendrice turned his face to Captain Pierce.

"What are you talking about, Captain?"

"Oh... forgive me..." Pierce muttered, shaking his head. "Was it really that bad?"

But Kendrice was sure that Pierce was struggling not to burst into loud laughter.

 _What am I missing here?_

He felt a strange, helpless rage build up inside him, that he could not explain. He swallowed and noticed how dry his mouth was. When he looked to Impa again, she was gone.

4

Aimlessly she wandered from one arena to the next. Nothing there could catch her interest. How could it, when she saw him everywhere? His image haunted her mind, his lips, that parted from hers to say this one word... Whenever she tried to close her eyes to escape his image, a thousand shivers ran down her body because then she felt his lips on her skin, and his hands, with a firm grip on her hips...

She had sat down in the stands by the swordsmen, and had tried to watch the fights for a while, but then she had seen Pierce, and next to Pierce sat _he_. He had looked at her and greeted her, and she would have liked to punch him with her fists, to finally escape his spell...

She had to forge out a plan. She had to tell him where the key was, without telling him. He had to find it himself, but a clue... she had to give him a clue, because she only had one more day. She had to execute the plan with her subconscious mind. But how? How could she get in touch with him? The only way to do something in the subconscious, was by... dreaming.

 _Wait a moment._

She had seen him, he had been in her dream. She had wondered what he was doing there, why he was in her dream, and had thought it a result of her obsession with him. But what if, by some strange entanglement of fate, she had taken something from him, that he was missing now? Could it be that he sought her in his dreams, as she was searching him?

 _Can it be that he has the same dream as me?_

In the first dream where she saw him, he had asked her two questions.

 _Who are you? And why am I here? Can you tell me?_

The dream had been over before she could answer. At that time she had had no answer, but now she would have one. She would tell him where to look for the key.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

1

She was dreaming, there was no doubt.

She did not need to count her fingers, because she knew the dream very well. Through the window she looked out into the distance and saw the glow of the torch, and she heard the quiet voice.

 _"Come..."_

She spread her wings and flew through the window, on and on. But when she arrived at the edge of the garden, she realized that something held her back. She looked around, and her mother was there. She also had wings and floated beside her.

"I can not allow this," her mother said. "It is not supposed to happen."

"Let me go," urged Impa and tried to break away from her. She looked for a connection that she could break, but she saw none.

"Let me go," she asked again. "I must go to him. He needs me. He is confused and sad. I must help him."

"He's fine," said her mother. You must forget him. We have prepared everything."

Impa recoiled gently and felt in her dream how panic spread within her.

"No!" she screamed. From all directions more winged creatures came and slowly surrounded her. Soon she would be completely enclosed in a ball of wings and feathers. They came closer and closer, the ball was growing tighter, and tighter still...

"I do not want this..." whimpered Impa.

"You need us..." whispered the winged ones and other wings caressed her cheeks.

"No..." she said softly. "No... I don't need you."

The ball loosened a bit, then came closer again. But Impa had understood.

"I do not need you," she said firmly. "You have guided and led me, but now I make my own decisions, and I choose him. I no longer need you."

Then, with a powerful flap of wings, she flew out of the ball and into the night. Deep down she saw the burning torch, and _he_ was standing there. She sunk and landed beside him in front of the torch. She threw off her wings and shook her hair. He looked up from the torch, and his astonished, sad eyes stabbed into her heart.

"Who are you? And why am I here?" he asked. "Can you tell me?"

She saw the little pile of ashes in his burnt hand.

"I am Impa," she said to him, "and you are here to burn."

2

Gasping, he woke from his dream. He blinked and froze as he realized that it had been a dream. It had been so clear, so obvious, and so complete! He was sure that he had the answer. He just needed to be fast enough before it faded again. He had caught the moth, but his hand had got into the fire, and he had been burned anyway. And then the winged creature had come and had thrown off its wings. He had asked it... _asked_ _her..._

 _Impa._

She had to be the one. She had been in his dream, because she had built the barrier in his mind.

Kendrice jumped out of bed like mad, and with trembling fingers he lit a candle on the small table. Impa wanted him to forget, but she also wanted him to remember.

 _She must have left me a key._

Frantically he looked around the room. She must have been there, otherwise she could not have built the barrier. She must have taken something that was here with him, something that he could find. With twitching eyes he let his gaze wander through the room. Nothing was different, everything was as it always was.

He listened. Was it perhaps a sound, a noise, a word?

He withdrew backwards to the little table, and the books fell to the floor. Without looking, he picked them up and put them back on the table. His fingers brushed over the familiar cover that he had worn with him almost constantly in the last few days, and his heart pounded as he turned and took the book in his hand.

 _Arut ill Siverdis. The Art of the Sword._

Two pages were left. He had read everything up to that point, but the key had not been there. With trembling hands he turned the last two pages...

And there it was.

 _Andyr._

 _Fire._

He knew it the moment he saw it. The barrier was destroyed.

3

It was the day of the exams.

Impa awoke at dawn and got ready for her work. In her bathroom she washed her body and bound up her white hair in a stern braid that would not interfere with the fighting. She put on her combat suit and tied both swords on her back. On her feet she pulled soft leather boots that clung to the fabric of the combat suit.

Ten candidates were on her list. She knew each of them personally and had seen how they were performing in the practice sessions. For each of them she had thought up a special test, which challenged his strengths and weaknesses alike. She put the ten medals in a small box. Ten fights she would have to perform, and then... she would leave.

 _Tomorrow._

She took the little box with the medals under her arm and went on her way. The tests would start at sunrise. She walked through the corridors to the rear exit of the castle. There were many people on the way, mainly servants and guests who were housed in the castle. Nobody paid any attention to her, much to her relief.

Outside, a fresh September morning received her. A slight breeze blew in the cool air, and dewdrops hung in the the closely mown grass on the wayside.

She didn't have far to go. During the night, the smaller arenas and grandstands had been converted to a large arena with high grandstands for the exams. Already from a distance she could hear the murmur and whisper of the spectators in the stands, who were waiting impatiently for the sun to rise.

At the edge of the arena, in front of the special seats which had been prepared for the royal couple and their guests, stood Impa's equipment table next to a bench on which the candidates sat. Captain Pierce had already arrived, and he came to Impa and placed a large hourglass on her equipment table.

"Good morning, Madam Impa," he said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Impa smiled and also greeted him.

"Good morning, Captain. Are your candidates ready?"

"They are, Madam. However, there has been a small change in their number."

Impa frowned. "What do you mean, has someone fallen ill?" She quickly looked to the candidates on the bench, but the group appeared to be complete.

"No, Madam, but someone has been added. He has just contacted me this morning and asked to be allowed to take the exam."

A strange premonition swelled in Impa's chest. She felt the familiar draw in her hands, and almost did not dare to ask.

"Who is it, Captain?"

Pierce's features softened, as he stated with a barely perceptible smile:

"Lord Richard Kendrice, Madam. He believes he's ready."

The blood rushed in Impa's ears as she heard the words she had feared. As if from far away she heard Pierce ask:

"Do you approve, Madam? Or should I decline him?"

"No..." she heard herself say.

Her eyes turned back to Pierce, who looked at her with a questioning face.

"I... do not understand, Madam."

"He... he can participate, Captain. "But only after I have tested the other candidates."

"He..." Pierce cleared this throat hoarsely. "He asks to be tested in the fight with two swords, Madam. I know that we have not yet had such a situation, but the law allows the candidate to choose the type of his exam if he wants to."

Impa barely understood what Pierce said. Had Kendrice not received her message? Surely he would have come to her...

What was he up to? Did he want to humiliate her in front of all the spectators? Did he want to take vengeance that she had hurt him? But he would not succeed.

 _I will take him apart, in front of all the people here._

"Madam?" asked Pierce, and Impa had to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Tell him, he can take the exam," she said to Pierce in a firm voice. "Two swords. Not less."

"All right, Madam." Pierce looked over her shoulder to the grandstand, and Impa turned and followed his gaze. Kendrice sat there with his swords on his lap, next to Link, Zelda and Jayrid, and she saw how he thanked Captain Pierce with a small gesture. Then his gaze turned to her and he bowed his head slightly in greeting.

Impa stared at him, then lowered her gaze with a beating heart.

 _He has not found the key..._

Countless thoughts crowded in her mind, but she tried to focus on her mission.

 _First test the others. You can take care of him later._

The sun had now fully risen, and the first candidate came forward with his sword.

"Good morning, Mister Daren" Impa greeted him.

Daren gave a slight bow and drew his sword. He threw the sheath to Pierce, who caught it and nodded encouragingly to Daren. Then Pierce went to the hourglass on the table and took it in his hand.

"My Lords and Ladies," he addressed the audience and the candidates, "the exam begins. It is held by Mistress Impa, Royal Instructor and Examiner in swordplay. Each candidate will be subjected to the test she provides for him. Fighting is done with sharp swords under customary conditions of combat."

He gestured to Impa to announce her test. Impa turned to her candidate.

"The candidate will try to resist my attacks for five minutes without injury. If I succeed to hurt him, the test is not passed."

Impa drew one of her swords with her right hand and nodded to Pierce. He put the hourglass with the full part up on the table and a bell sounded. She turned to Daren.

"Defend yourself, Mister Daren" she said calmly and stood in her attack position.

The soldier knew what was at stake. He calmly waited for her attack and watched her closely. Impa knew where his weak point was – and slammed. But he parried, though just barely. She hit again, and then again in rapid succession. He parried repeatedly and tried to keep his eyes glued on her. Impa whirled and tried to hit him on the shoulder, but he squirmed under her sword and rolled over. When he realized that he had an advantage, he tried to attack, but he was too slow and Impa parried quickly. He continued to attack, but Impa drove him back and targeted his shoulder again. He wanted to duck down again, but Impa hit with a deeper blow, and he had to parry. They repeated their attacks again and again until finally the bell rang. Impa withdrew and nodded to Daren, who bowed again and went back to the bench to the other candidates.

Impa stole a glance at the stands to Kendrice. He watched her with a calm expression. The blood rushed to her face and she snorted.

 _Must he watch me all the time?_

She tried to remain calm and turned her attention back to the test, as the bell rang out, and a new candidate stood before her.

4

Ten fights.

Each was different, and each called the best of the candidates. Daren was afraid of being hurt, Impa knew. Other candidates had other weaknesses, and during their trials she had confronted all of them with their weaknesses and led them to draw on their strengths. But all had done well, and all had passed.

And now the final battle lay before her. She was standing in the center of the arena, waiting for her... _opponent_. A deep breath cleared her mind and she straightened. With her chin up and a determined expression she turned her head to Pierce and nodded at him. She saw Pierce's look go to Kendrice, who received it and also nodded. Kendrice stood up and took off his cloak. Underneath he wore his red tunic, a white shirt and black trousers. She knew this attire well and a stab ran through her body.

 _Could it be possible..._

A faint hope stirred within her. She followed Kendrice with her gaze, while he made his way down through the rows of spectators to the arena. The audience had noticed that something unusual was going on, and murmured and whispered excitedly.

And then he stood before her. His eyes were fixed on her and slightly narrowed. A small smile played on his lips, and Impa could barely avert her gaze from them. Pierce came to him and Kendrice gave him his sheaths, before he drew both swords from them. In his right hand lay _Andyr_ , the fire sword. Pierce brought the sheaths to the table, then he addressed the audience.

"My Ladies and Lords, distinguished audience, Lord Richard Kendrice will take Mistress Impa's exam as an additional candidate. Fighting is done with two sharp swords, until the victory of one opponent."

The murmur of the audience grew louder, as never before had there been a fight like this one in the exams. The fighting took place usually between candidate and examiner, but this time two opponents would fight against each other, without consideration and without mercy.

Impa took another deep breath and drew both swords from her back.

"Defend yourself, my Lord," she said with a calm voice, and took up her attack pose. Involuntarily her gaze went to Kendrice's neck where a small scar was left from the injury she had done to him.

Kendrice attacked immediately. Impa had expected him to encircle her to find her weak spot, but he struck promptly with both swords at her, so she had to put all her attention into her defense. He struck with a force that Impa would never have imagined in him. Again and again he came upon her and gave her no chance to attack. The crowd was silent and all held their breath.

 _You must jump, he can not do that! Attack him from above! And duck, damn it._

Impa realized that confusion spread in her mind. He would not give her a chance. Her usual tactic did not work with him any more. She would have to come up with something. She let him come towards her, ducked under his swords and took advantage of his surprise to jump a somersault behind him. His back was not protected and Impa struck with all her strength. In the last moment he parried with _Andyr_ and for an instant Impa saw the large ruby flashing before her eyes. In that moment she suddenly felt a part of her arm disappear. Startled she stared at it and saw that her sword was missing. The crowd gasped as her sword flew in a wide arc to the edge of the arena and fell to the ground with a clashing sound.

No one had ever disarmed her.

She looked at Kendrice, who circled her with a grim smile. His eyes bored into hers like two daggers.

"Come, my Lady," he said in a low voice. "One weapon you still have. _Burn me."_

 _"You..."_ she snarled furiously.

She flew at him, but he was already gone when she landed. His two blades hissed around her ears and she could barely fend off his rapid strokes.

 _You must concentrate..._

But it was impossible. His words rang in her ears, over and over again. Her eyes searched wildly for a way, for a gap that she could use. The missing sword pained her, it hurt her.

Kendrice played with her. He circled her again with that same grim smile on his face, and his eyes were like the steel of his swords. Impa tried to attack, but he had expected it, and as she tried to parry his blows, he suddenly jerked his two swords in the air and hurled her last sword out of her hand.

Trembling she stood there, gasping for breath.

What was that? What had he done to her?

The crowd had grown deathly quiet. No sound could be heard, as Impa looked perturbed at her empty hands. She looked at Kendrice. A pained expression was on his face, and his lips quivered.

"How... how could you..." stammered Impa.

Kendrice was breathing heavily. He closed his eyes for a moment with an agonized grimace. Then his eyes met hers again.

"I read your book, my Lady. To the end. And then a little more."

Impa's eyes widened as realization struck her.

"You... You did..." Her voice trailed off.

Kendrice nodded slowly. "Yes, my Lady. I... remember."

Then he reached out with both arms and with a fierce motion rammed his two swords into the ground. He stepped up to Impa. With pounding heart and trembling lips she stood before him, not daring to look into his eyes. But he put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his, and she saw his eyes, his lips, so close...

"Do such a thing again, and I will kill you," Kendrice breathed in a stern voice. She felt his fervent hand on her back, that pulled her closer, before his mouth came to her waiting lips, and finally freed her.

5

The audience was racing.

Hylians, Zoras, Gorons and Gerudos rose from their seats and shouted loud cheers, clapped their hands and stamped their feet, while down there in the arena two people melded together, who had found each other. Blinking and struggling against tears, Captain Pierce was standing beside Impa's equipment table and felt a sublime peace finally settle about him. As he turned, he saw Link in the stands pick up Kendrice's cloak and then come down the stairs together with Jayrid. As they approached him, Pierce raised both hands, palms outward, and Link and Jayrid smiling clapped his hands as they passed. Pierce put his hands over his face and slowly shook his head. Then he turned and looked back at the couple in the arena. Link and Jayrid had stopped at a respectful distance. Impa and Lord Kendrice were still kissing obliviously, but Pierce wanted them to have their togetherness. He stood beside Link and Jayrid and said:

"That I could live to see this..."

Link turned to him smiling and gave him Kendrice's cloak. He squeezed Pierce's shoulder friendly and said:

"You have done well, my friend. I am glad that finally peace will come. Hopefully."

Pierce took the cloak and went to Impa and Kendrice, who had parted and were looking smiling at each other. With measured steps he approached them and put Kendrice's cloak around Impa's shoulders.

"Come, my Lord," he softly said to Kendrice. "I believe, you have passed the test."

Kendrice took a deep breath and grabbed Impa's hand. He looked at his two swords that were stuck in the ground, but Pierce said:

"We will take care of them, my Lord. Bring Madam Impa home."

Kendrice nodded gratefully, then led Impa from the arena, while the audience slowly calmed down.

Pierce looked after them, remembering how it all began.

Kendrice's zeal had seemed suspicious to him from the beginning, and the better he became, the more his suspicion was confirmed that Kendrice was in love with Impa. Kendrice had never said anything, but Pierce had been watching him. As Kendrice then began to fight with two swords, he had been sure that his suspicions were true.

And then, last night...

.

A loud knock on the door to his chambers woke him. Roselyn, who lay beside him, was also awake and looked at him grimly.

"If it is that crazy Lord Kendrice again, I'll put the guards onto his neck," she growled.

"Quiet, my darling," Pierce tried to calm her. "Go back to sleep, I'll go have a look."

He lit a candle and stepped through the door. Lord Kendrice stood outside, with dishevelled hair and apparently dressed in a hurry. He had brought no swords, but in his hand Pierce saw the book _Arut ill Siverdis_.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked him.

Lord Kendrice nodded gratefully and walked past him through the door.

Pierce offered him a chair at the table in the living room, put the candlestick on the table and sat down opposite to Kendrice.

Kendrice put the book on the table, ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath before he began.

"You asked me yesterday about that fight, in which Impa wanted to teach me a lesson."

"Yes, I did," Pierce said calmly. "But you gave me no answer."

"I gave you no answer for the simple reason that yesterday I did not _remember_ that fight," Kendrice said. "But I do _now_."

Pierce frowned.

"I do not understand, my Lord."

But Kendrice raised a finger to indicate that he was not finished.

"In fact, I no longer remembered because I _should_ not remember. The memory was in my mind, but it was... surrounded by a barrier."

"But then..." Pierce began.

"Yes, Captain. Someone entered my mind and built a barrier there."

"Do you know who it was?" Pierce asked, looking at Kendrice attentively.

Kendrice nodded slowly and looked up at Pierce.

"Impa."

"But why? Does it have anything to do with this fight, my Lord?"

Kendrice nodded again, and a wistful expression came into his eyes.

"That night... She... was there. She had been waiting for me, apparently indeed to put a dampener on me. But the fight ended with a stalemate and..."

Embarrassed, he lowered his gaze.

"You... love her, Lord Kendrice. Am I right?"

Kendrice swallowed before he spoke.

"I have loved her for many years now. I never had the courage to approach her. You know how she is. Eventually I realized that I could only find her attention in one way – by impressing her, with something she is good in.

"Therefore the two swords."

Kendrice nodded. "After this had become clear to me, I began to act. Captain, you see a new person before you. Before I was an old, embittered man. But today I can compete with the best sword fighter of Hyrule. My body is strong and healthy, my mind is clear and my senses are sharpened. And that night... I conquered her. She was mine, and our souls united, but then... she left. She surrounded my memory of that night, and the fight – and even of my love for her – with a barrier – and disappeared."

"But how could you overcome the barrier, Lord Kendrice?" asked Pierce. "Impa is the strongest telepath I know, she would never be negligent in this respect. Unless..." He looked at Kendrice with wide eyes. "...she... wanted..."

Kendrice nodded. "Yes. She left me a key, before she went away. And tonight I found it."

"How?" whispered Pierce.

Kendrice took the book and opened up the last page. Pierce had also read the book and knew the last page. Under the last line, in the free area of the page, someone hat written a single word: _Andyr_.

"You learned Sheikan, Captain. Do you know this word?"

Pierce nodded. "It means _fire_ , as far as I know, but also..."

" _Ruby_ " Kendrice finished the sentence. "It is the name I gave my sword. I told it to nobody. No one. Except her. That night."

Pierce stared at the word on the page and nodded slowly. It was amazing.

"I have come to you for two reasons," Kendrice continued. "First – I need one last confirmation. You were the last person to read the book before me and you would have noticed this word, if it had already been there before."

Pierce looked in Kendrice's gray eyes that glittered in the candlelight, and shook his head. "When I read the book, it was not there."

Kendrice released his breath relieved. "Thank you, my friend. That means that Impa wrote it, and that she wrote it for _me_. And the second reason is – I believe, Impa also loves me. But something prevents her to reveal herself to me, so she took away the memory of it from me – and the knowledge. I fear that, if I face her alone, something similar will happen, and that she might then completely surround the memory with a barrier – or worse. And to prevent this, I need your help."

"My...?" Said Pierce surprised.

"Tomorrow... that is, of course – today, are the exams of the elite fighters, and Impa will conduct the testing. The stands will be full of members of all tribes of Hyrule. I want to ask you that you register me as a candidate. I must face Impa and – if possible – defeat her, before the eyes of the entire country. Do you understand me?"

For a long moment, Pierce looked smiling at his folded hands on the table. Then he looked back at Lord Kendrice and his face showed a broad smile.

"I feel honored, Lord Kendrice. And you are more than ready for this test."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

1

They were in his large bed, and the sun was setting.

Lord Richard Kendrice lay beside her supported by his elbow and was watching her in her sleep. Her snow-white hair framed her face and formed a sharp contrast to the dark sheets. Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly parted, and she was breathing slowly and evenly. The blanket had slipped from her shoulders, revealing the roots of her breasts, which slowly rose and fell to the rhythm of her breathing.

 _She is so beautiful..._

Kendrice let the memory of the day that was ending pass before his mind again, as if to verify that everything was still there.

He had conquered her – for the second time. Before the eyes of the royal couple and the audience, which had come from all over Hyrule, he had disarmed and defeated her, and then he had kissed her. Like a desperately awaited rain on a withered land his lips had sunk onto hers, and the touch had permeated his entire being. Never again would he let her go, as long as he lived.

He looked at the hand of the arm on which he lay supported. His fingers were intertwined with hers and had not been able to part from them in his sleep. He pressed a long kiss to her fingers.

The day had passed in a frenzy of bliss. To the applause of the king and the audience he had led Impa from the arena and had brought her straight into his chambers. There he had slowly undressed her from her combat suit and had covered every part of her body with kisses. Whimpering she hat snuggled into his touch and had searched his lips, until their souls had found each other again after the long separation.

She stirred and moaned softly. He felt a pull on his hand as she tried to move her arm. Her eyes, as red as the light of the setting sun, opened and immediately found his. She smiled.

"Good evening, my Lady," he said. "Are you hungry?"

She tugged jerkily with her hand, and Kendrice lost his balance and toppled to her. Her lips were waiting for him and her fingers wriggled from his hand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her frantically, while showers of desire were flowing through his body.

"I think today I'll start with the dessert, my Lord," she whispered in his ear. She pressed her body to his and he felt her longing. Moaning, she reared up when she received him, and her body merged with his. She pulled him to her and he kissed her again and again and savoured her fire, until they both were only flames.

2

Two weeks later they had married.

It had been a small but select party, and only Kendrice's and Impa's closest friends had attended. Link, Zelda, Jayrid and Pierce with their respective families had attended the ceremony in the Temple of Time, but the whole country had been happy with them.

Then Kendrice had gone to Link and Zelda and had asked them for a larger apartment in the castle. They gladly permitted and Roslyn had furnished them some beautiful rooms on a higher floor.

And now, after all this was over, there was one thing left for Impa to do.

They sat closely snuggled up together on the sofa in their new home, while a warm fire crackled in the fireplace. Impa held the book _Arut ill Siverdis_ in her hands and read the last lines to Kendrice.

 _"Ist Andyr till natiar, nur Tirad, nar valrid siverdit ill darun mest."_

Kendrice had listened attentively, then he frowned thoughtfully.

"Let's see," he said. "Let... fire... fill your mind... not hatred, then... you will conquer everything... you ever want." He looked puzzled at her. "But... somehow it does not make sense to me."

"This is probably, my Lord," Impa said, "because there is a peculiarity in this last sentence, which you perhaps are not yet aware of. You see, in the Sheikan language, the word _Andyr_ also has a third meaning, which is frequently confused."

"Oh," Kendrice said with raised eyebrows. "What does it mean?"

"It means _love_ , my Lord," Impa said, looking into his eyes. His face softened and he smiled.

"Therefore," Impa continued, "the last sentence in the book means: 'Let _love_ fill your being, not hatred, then you will conquer everything you ever want.'"

Kendrice looked at her with a proud look in his eyes. "You are unbelievable, my Lady," he said and kissed her lips. She kissed him back greedily and felt his warmth and his passion in his touch. But after a few moments she pulled back and held him. He stopped and looked at her questioningly.

"There is something I must tell you, my Lord," she began hesitantly.

His expression grew worried, but she calmed him with a gentle kiss. "It's nothing bad, do not worry."

He sighed with relief and shook his head. "What is it, my Lady?"

Impa paused and took a deep breath, then began.

"I do not know if you are informed about the... peculiarities of the Sheikah."

He shook his head. "No. Except that they are long-lived, of course."

" _Very_ long-lived, in fact," Impa said. "At the moment I am about two and a half centuries old and I will, if I do not get killed for another reason, live on at least as long."

Kendrice took a deep breath and kissed her. "I know that, my Lady."

"But that is not what I want to tell you, my Lord. Because... there are other peculiarities, too. One of these, for example, is the duration of our pregnancy. It lasts twelve months, not nine. And only in the last third of the pregnancy the children begin to grow rapidly, so that the pregnancy is not visible for a long time."

Kendrice slowly nodded, but said nothing.

"Do you remember our... first encounter, my Lord?"

Kendrice lowered his gaze with a broad smile. "Of course, my Lady," he breathed, and Impa shivered. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily, because it was the shiver that called for his body, for his lips...

 _But first..._

She swallowed the craving and continued.

"Well, we Sheikah can... mature our ova as desired, and we can feel whether they are fertilized or not. We can even determine which gender the children shall have."

Again she paused. Kendrice took her hand and kissed it.

"At the time we met, a mature egg cell was in my body, that was waiting to accept a male cell... and did."

Kendrice's face softened and he closed his eyes as he tried to count in his mind, how much time had passed since then.

"Seven months..." he breathed. "That means, you are in the seventh month of twelve pregnant with my..." He looked at her, waiting for her confirmation.

"...son," Impa said, nodding.

"Oh, my Lady..." he said. "Do you know what this means to me?"

"I know," nodded Impa. "I... saw it... when I..."

But she came no further. Kendrice pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. "Oh gods of joy..." he breathed. But Impa held him again to stop him.

"There's more," she said.

Kendrice paused reluctantly and listened to her, shaking his head with glistening eyes.

"Apart from the waiting cell, in my body was yet another cell that had already begun to live. I would like to keep the name of the father to myself. He knows nothing about it, because I have also surrounded his memory with a barrier. I will allow him to get to know his daughter when she is born, and then I will remove the memory of her from his mind – under one condition."

Kendrice looked at her in amazement. "Two children... a son and a daughter... This is surely a dream..."

"The condition is..." Impa wanted to continue, but Kendrice put two fingers to her lips and kissed her tenderly.

"I will love both children as my life, my Lady," he said passionately. "Be assured that I will never make a difference between them, as long as I live. You have given me the greatest happiness that a man could want in this world, and I thank you with all my soul. He put his right hand on his heart and gave a slight bow. This was the gesture of the highest respect and gratitude, and Impa saw the sincerity in Kendrice's eyes, as she finally flowed into his arms and surrendered to him completely

3

"What are you saying? They fight against _each other_?"

"But she is already in the ninth month!"

"We need to get her Majesty!"

Zelda stepped out of the door and found three soldiers in front of it – her two personal guards and another, who was completely out of breath and was holding on to the door frame.

"What's going on?" she asked sternly.

"Lady Impa and Lord Kendrice, your Majesty..." breathed the third soldier. "They... they fight against each other on the training ground... with sharp swords... with _two_ sharp swords..."

"What...?" breathed Zelda.

"You must come, your Majesty!"

As they spoke, Link came down the corridor with Eric on his shoulders.

"What happened?" he asked curiously.

"Impa and Kendrice are fighting against each other with two swords," Zelda said, snorting.

Link's eyes became wide as a child's, and his mouth opened from fascination.

"I must see that!" he cried. "Here, my darling." He quickly took Eric from his shoulders and gave him to Zelda. Then he turned to the soldier who was still gasping for breath.

"Come on, show me where they are... or... I think, I know where. Stay and rest, I will find them."

"But, Link..." Zelda called after him.

But he no longer heard. He ran through the gardens to the public practice ground of the soldiers. Night had already fallen and the cold air promised snow. He was thankful that he still wore the cloak from his walk.

When he approached the training ground, he could hear the enthusiastic cheers of the soldiers. Around the square torches had been lit, which illuminated the arena in the middle. He pushed forward through the onlooking soldiers until he reached Pierce, who was watching with a resigned expression on his face. When he noticed Link's presence, he pointed helplessly with his hands to the two fighting figures.

"They have _sharp_ swords, your Majesty!" he wailed.

"Ah!" Link made a dismissive gesture. "They're both grown up, Pierce. Come, enjoy the spectacle, these here are the two best sword fighters in the country. On whom do you bet?"

Pierce looked at him blankly. "You don't want to _bet_ now... do you?"

"So... I bet on Impa. Since she is married to him, she has learned a whole lot of tricks from Lord Kendrice."

Pierce shook his head and looked back at the two adversaries.

They whirled around each other, circled and danced around each other. Impa jumped in somersaults forward and back, and her husband rolled skilfully under her leaps. They repeatedly hacked powerfully upon one another, but also blocked each other every time and wriggled under each other's blows. They both had a mischievous smile on their faces and their eyes met like flashes of lightning. Impa's combat suit had been modified so that it covered the slight curvature, which could be seen underneath it. Not in the least hindered by it, she repeatedly threw herself forcefully at Kendrice, who dodged her, however, and deflected her chops. Their four blades cut through the air with hissing sounds, and clashed together with striking sparks. And then Impa's swords suddenly flew through the air and fell to the ground with a clanking noise. But she stopped not for a moment, but rolled under Kendrice's arms on the ground and jumped with a cry from behind on his back, where she tied up his arms along with his swords, using her legs. Kendrice threw his swords away to indicate that he gave up. Impa came off his back and stepped before him. With her head high and satisfaction in her eyes, she looked at him, panting. "Do you surrender, my Lord?"

Kendrice slowly put his hands around her waist and abruptly pulled her to himself.

"I love you, my Lady."

Then he kissed her fiercely and the loud applause of the audience resounded widely through the cold night.

4

"My Lord..."

Kendrice awoke with a start. Beside him Impa lay on her side and looked at him in the starlight. He straightened up.

"What..."

But she just smiled. "Do not worry, my Lord. The babies are coming."

"What? Now?"

He jumped up and went to light a candle. Then he came back to her.

"Are you feeling all right? Should I get Master Maynard?"

"Don't you dare. He knows nothing about Sheikan births. I will do this alone, my Lord." She sat up and leaned against the pillows.

"But..." He sat down beside her on the bed and stroked her hair.

"Shh..." she soothed him. "It won't take long. Have you forgotten that you have a Sheikah for your wife?"

"Oh, no, my Lady, I do not forget that for a moment," he said with a smile and kissed her. "But I am a little nervous, I must admit."

She smiled and closed her eyes as she moaned and tilted her head back.

"Is there anything I can do, my Lady?"

"Maybe you could bring a few towels and put some more pillows in my back." Again, she closed her eyes with a soft moan. Kendrice hastened to fulfill her wishes, then he came back to her.

"Spread the towels before me, my Lord."

"Is it all right so, my Lady?" he asked.

"Yes..." she said softly and breathed heavily. "And now... kiss... me... my... Lord."

"I'll do that very gladly," Kendrice said, kneeling at her side. He took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips were soft and gentle, and very, very warm. He kissed her for a long time while she moaned and took slow, deep breaths. And then she suddenly brought her hands to his temples and held his face as she kissed him. A feeling of utmost joy exploded in his entire body and in his mind, like a firework of overwhelming power. After a long moment she parted from him and her hands slid from his temples. Every muscle in his body relaxed in an instant, and he collapsed with his eyes closed next to her. He lay like stunned until he felt her hand stroking his hair, and he opened his eyes.

A blissful smile was on her face when he met her eyes.

"Come, my Lord, and welcome your children."

He looked in amazement at the towel that he had spread in front of her. She took one of the children in her arms and gave her to him.

"This is Drilla, your daughter. Her name is a word from the language of the Gerudo, and it means _Rose."_

Kendrice took the girl and looked at her in amazement. His vision blurred as the tears broke from his eyes and rolled down his face.

"She is beautiful, my Lady," he said, and gently pressed the girl to his chest. Then he gave her back to Impa, and Impa gave him the other child.

"And this is your son, my Lord. His name is Andyr."

Kendrice raised his eyes to her in surprise, and Impa smiled.

"I chose this name for him the night I conceived him from you. I hope it is to your liking."

She took the girl back in her arms, gently stroked her forehead and put her to her breast. Immediately she began to suckle and closed her eyes in blissful delight.

Kendrice could barely believe his fortune. With his son Andyr in his arm he leaned to Impa and kissed her lips full of love and gratitude. A new, unknown feeling of fulfillment flowed through his body when he touched her, and it surprised him a little. But so much had happened this night, that he did not think about it and quickly forgot.

He gave Andyr back to Impa and helped her to put him to her other breast. With soft, whimpering sounds Andyr snuggled to the skin of his mother and lost his gaze in her eyes. Kendrice helped Impa to support the children with some pillows, and lay down in bed beside her. Full of reverence and awe he looked at his family and closed his eyes. But he immediately opened them again, when he remembered something. Slowly he brought his hand to his eyes and, overwhelmed with joy, counted five fingers.

5

Impa awoke when a tiny finger touched her face. Andyr lay beside her, yawned and stretched his little limbs. He opened his eyes and searched for Impa's breast. Impa let him feed and dozed on. On her other side Drilla was playing with her little fists. She had fed an hour ago and was full and satisfied.

Outside she heard the birds singing and knew that it was already late in the morning. The place beside her was empty, for Lord Kendrice had already stood up and gone to the Council meeting. For the late morning she had made an appointment with Henry Maynard so he could examine the children for the first time. Her heart was a little uneasy, because she had decided to let him choose.

A soft knock sounded on the door and she friendly called "Come in."

She had instructed the guards to let Henry in, so she did not need to get up. He opened the door and greeted her friendly, as he closed the door behind him. Impa took Andyr from her breast and closed her nightgown. Henry came to her and asked with a gesture, if he could sit on the bed, and Impa nodded.

"I have heard that the birth went very well, Madam Impa," he said. "If you have some time later, I would be very interested to learn about the medical background."

Impa smiled again. "I will tell you gladly all I know, Master Maynard, although it was the first time for me, and I actually acted purely instinctively."

Maynard's gaze fell on Andyr who was still in Impas arm and looked about with open eyes.

"May I introduce to you my son, Master Maynard?" Impa said, offering Andyr to him. Henry took him and looked at him smiling. "A wonderful boy. If he feeds diligently, he will quickly grow big and strong, like his father."

Impa smiled again. "Thank you, Master Maynard." She put Andyr to her side and took Drilla from her other side.

With a deep breath, she offered her daughter to Henry.

"And now, Master Maynard, I would like to introduce to you my daughter." He took her from her and looked at her in awe. Softly Impa said:

"Her name is _Drilla_ , and she is _your_ daughter, too."

A profound change happened in Henry's face as the memory broke over him. He breathed heavily and looked wistfully into the eyes of his daughter. He slowly raised his hand and stroked her forehead with trembling fingers.

"How..." he stammered overwhelmed. "I remember... you... us..."

"I know, Master Maynard," Impa say smiling. "I had surrounded your memory with a barrier, because I did not want you to suffer. The name of your daughter was the key to your memories. If everything had happened as it was planned, I would have left before the birth and the children had been brought up in another place by strangers. You would have never remembered and never known your daughter."

Henry Maynard pressed his daughter to his chest and tears came into his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

"During my pregnancy I realized that I want to have a different life for my children. I wanted them to have a family and be loved. At that point I had already prepared my second egg cell and let it be fertilized by Lord Kendrice. I also surrounded his memory with a barrier, but by the will of chance, I fell in love with him. To you I had left a key that _I myself_ would have to give you, in order to open the memory. To him I had left a key that he could find himself, which he finally did, as you have seen."

Henry Maynard had become quiet. After a while he said:

"What do you want to do now, Madam Impa?"

Impa gently stroked his hand.

"I would like to offer you the choice, Master Maynard. I can surround your memory with a barrier and let no keyhole open. This way you would only remember when I want you to, and when I enter your mind again. Or I can remove your memory completely, then there would be no barrier."

Henry lowered his gaze to the ground for a long moment. Then he breathed in slowly and looked at her with a grave expression.

"And the third option?" he asked.

"There is no third option," Impa said softly.

"Oh, yes, there is," Henry said. He gently kissed the forehead of his daughter and handed her back to Impa.

"What do you mean?" Impa asked, frowning.

"The third option, Madam Impa, is that I keep my memory, as it is now."

"But... you would suffer!"

"Yes, Madam, that I would do," he said passionately. "I will suffer terribly and be angry with you, but with time, I will forgive you. No other woman has ever touched my heart, but as I see it, I have the choice between a life in which I have never met love, have never felt the passion and the joy that you gave me – and a life, that will perhaps be bitter sometimes, but where I can feel the joy and gratitude, to see my daughter grow up. Lord Kendrice is a kind, loving man, who adores you, and I am convinced that he will be a wonderful father to Drilla."

Tears of emotion came to Impa's eyes at these words, and she swallowed.

"Please, my Lady," Henry continued, "let me take part in her life. I will be silent about this secret, as long as I live. I will see her often, and perhaps I may later also be a teacher to her, but rest assured that I will never make a claim. I swear."

The tears ran down Impa's face. Softly she said to Henry:

"This is a good choice, Henry. You must not be afraid. I will leave you all your memories and never again try to influence them."

Henry Maynard took her face in his hands and with his thumbs wiped the tears from her cheeks. Slowly, he leaned towards her and gently kissed her lips.

"Farewell, my Lady," he said softly. "You are a wonderful person, and I will be happy when I see that you are happy."

Then he stood up and quietly left the bedroom while his daughter gently fell asleep at her mother's breast.

THE END


End file.
